


The Opened Box

by Nouna



Series: How to be [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, Drug Addiction, Drug Withdrawal, Elijah and Gavin are Brothers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 07:24:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19057966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nouna/pseuds/Nouna
Summary: After a severe attack on his life, Gavin spends his days cooped up inside his own apartment and tries everything to stay alive. Luckily he doesn't have to do it all on his own.





	The Opened Box

**Author's Note:**

> !! Attention !!  
> This is mostly a chapter about really bad depressive episodes, so please read with caution.
> 
> It was a bit draining so it took me a good while to work through it all, but I hope it is worth the effort and time investment in the end. 
> 
> Oh and yeah... there is porn. Uh... lime on the citrus scale, I guess, because I am a coward lol

Of course, Gavins reactions to Red Ice in his system had always been heavily influenced by his barely stable emotional state. Once upon a time, he had loved the drugs, because they had been the only thing that made him feel energetic and weightless and 'alive'. To feel anything different from hollowness and anger, even just for some hours, had been worth a good chunk of his life expectancy to him. 

But there had also been bad days. The days when the drugs only amplified his misery and broke it through a kaleidoscope of horrific visions that made him shudder and cry out for mercy. Those experiences had outnumbered the 'good ones' by the dozens but still, Gavin had craved and sometimes even did so to this day. Because these artificial highs still felt like his only chance at happiness. People like him weren't meant to live safe and happy lives and he always had known that.

He always had known. 

As Gavin fought open his reddened eyes, his eyelids were almost crusted shut through grime and dried tears of the last few times he had been awake enough to cry. They itched and burned as if they were still irritated by smoke and heat. Bright white sunlight shone through the window at his right side - and didn't fail to make Gavin instantly feel horrendously ill. The sudden cramping muscles of his lower abdomen forced a hiccup out of him that scratched at the back of his throat with disorienting nausea. With a deep groan, Gavin clawed at his blanket and as soon as he curled his fingers, joint pains flared alive, so intense they blinded him. It felt as if there was sand grinding between his bones. Gavin felt too hot and too cold at the same time, strangely weightless and immovable heavy all at once. He felt like a floating, inhuman mess. 

How long had he been like this...?  
Gavin vaguely remembered the white walls and the antiseptic stench of a hospital but that also could be just a trick of his mind. His head wasn't working right, anyway. 

Gavin couldn't remember a time where he didn't just lay around only to sweat, barf, rage, and cry. Days must have already gone by like that. 

A reflexive yawn forced Gavins mouth open and made his eyes water with a fresh layer of tears while the muscles in his jaw spasmed painfully. A shifting glare at his bedside clock told him, he already slept through two pm.

Gavin still was so devastatingly tired, but actually, no.

Gavin wasn't tired at all. Tired was a word way too tame for the weariness in his bones and the black tar in his head that made a task as simple as thinking so utterly difficult. Not even 'exhausted' was a word severe enough to fit as a descriptor of his misery. He was burned out. He was hollow. Gavin felt utterly cold and empty. 

The shakes and shivers didn't care for his mental state, of course. They didn't even stop in his sleep, rattled the bed against the wall and woke him up every hour or so - which was good because he needed to empty his stomach almost every time it happened anyway.

Gavin took a shallow breath that moved and stretched his badly aching muscles. As he breathed out a feeble sigh, it came out through viciously clattering teeth. 

The more he hurt, the more he curled into himself, the more he hurt, the more -...

His bitten bloody fingernails sunk deeply into the bare white blanket that burrowed his maltreated body underneath. The bed-tick was rough enough to make Gavin feel raw. Cold sweat trickled down his nape and face into his hair - the strong smell of his own body had turned sour and made him now feel violently sick. The pungent stench of chemicals clung to his greyish skin like a shroud.

Gavin couldn't think through all of this. There was no room left inside his in black tar potted brain that wasn't just a variation of this one thing: 

This was hell.

Gavin was in 'hell'.

He knew what could make it all stop. Gavin wanted to get up, get out of bed and stomp down anyone who got in his way because they clearly didn't care for him anyway if they didn't get him the stuff he so clearly and desperately needed right now.

Gavin had to get outside and get it himself then. He couldn't bear a minute longer of this pain and misery. It was brutal enough to drive him mad. And through all of it, Gavin knew and dreaded what happened next. After the shakes, the shivers, and the pain, there would only follow emptiness. 

Red Ice was the ball chain around his ankle. There would never ever be even one more day of his god-awful life at which Gavin wouldn't silently crave the stuff. At the end of this... maybe he would even cry and beg for it...?

Maybe he already had? 

Thank the gods he couldn't remember and wasn't left with the memory of what he most likely had offered in return, utterly mad and desperate for it.

All of this was just one giant fucked up horror trip that was already burned deeply enough into Gavins mind for him to never be able to forget. And still, Gavin wanted more of it. He would swallow the stuff raw and chew it to bloody shards if he had to.

Gavins tendons popped as he hesitantly lifted himself upright. The sudden pain in his sore muscles was so intense, he needed to take some deep and soothing breaths that only stretched his heaving chest even further. Every little movement was hard work. On all fours, he crawled over the mattress and lifted his feet stiffly out of bed. The cold of the floorboards prickled under his soles and as he lifted himself up, Gavins legs shook like that of a new-born colt.

As soon as he stood up, the blood in his head seemed to slosh downward all the way into his stomach and Gavin almost brained himself in his haste to get to the bathroom. 

What he vomited into the toilet was a thin liquid comprising of water, maybe even of some blood, but mostly of foul smelling stomach acid. There was nothing more inside of him and still, it was too much to bear. Gavin clawed at the porcelain, held himself upright with the last bit of his strength while his shoulders shook through hitching short breaths. A low sound of utter despair forced itself out of his sore throat.

The door creaked open with a noisy howl and a tiny shadow appeared on the threshold. Gavin groaned as the silent tell-tale noise of kitten feet on bathroom tiles was to be heard somewhere behind him. CA-T007 stood up and leaned over the toilet seat to press it's little nose to Gavins in a sort of gentle greeting. 'Mew', it said and it almost sounded like a question.

Gavin leaned his head on his shaking arms and stared at the little thing while his diaphragm shook some more and made him heave and heave up nothing. CA-T007 stayed there with him and leaned its almost weightless shape awfully careful into Gavins still black and blue bruised side. Shallowly it lifted its tiny paw and touched it to Gavins clammy face with a curious tilt of its tiny head.

Minutes, only filled with a heavy silence, came and went and with them the cramps and pains of a starved and poisoned body. "'Hm sorry... ", Gavin rasped because there was no way he could pick CA-T007 up as he used to any other day. Now he needed all of the strength left in him to get back onto his feet on his own. Gavins back stretched and the shivering muscles coerced him to lean over and hunch his shoulders. Gavins jaw locked into a bite as he forced himself upright enough to actually be able to stare into his bathroom mirror. Like a haunted one, he ended up standing in front of it, heavily supported by the sink under his white-knuckled fingers.

The skin around Gavins hollow eyes was bruised into dark purple shadows while the rest of his face was ill colored grey like a late-discovered corpse. Aside from its disgusting color, the skin was also dry enough to peel off in flakes like after a really bad sunburn. The new skin underneath was reddened and sore. Meanwhile, his usually well kept facial hair had grown itself into a patchy and prickly beard. Gavin couldn't even think about mustering up enough energy to shave. Right now, it also was something about... water. Just the thought of putting the effort in. About 'getting wet'... 

It felt repulsive. It made Gavins skin crawl. 

Heavily he leaned over and down to wash his mouth and get at least the taste of acid off of his sore tongue. But that was all he could stomach about all that stuff right now.

As he pulled himself together enough to lurch outside the door he also felt suddenly quite hungry. Ravenous, even... 

Even after days of bedridden madness there 'had' to be something in his kitchen somewhere. But as Gavin came to stand inside his living-room and stared dead-eyed over his kitchen counter, he remembered that there wouldn't be anything to just 'get' and eat. He almost never cooked as he lived alone anyway, so there was no fresh food. When he ate, he usually did it at work. Or got takeaway on his way home. Or ordered in. All he would be able to find in his own kitchen was food that wouldn't spoil, like rice, pasta and maybe some crispbread somewhere. 

If he wanted to eat, he had to cook it first. And as soon as he thought it, he knew there was no way he could do that. He just couldn't. And the thought about talking to anyone, even just to order in, made him tremble and feel even more exhausted and ill.

Maybe Gavin would have cried in frustration if there hadn't been this hollow void in his chest that swallowed up any and all emotion to only leave heaviness behind for him to deal with. 

Even the thought about breaking through his own damn door to somehow get Red Ice from some of his old contacts wasn't compelling anymore. There was no strength left in his limbs to force open the door that his jailors had kept tightly shut for days now. He was so hungry and devoid of energy, he wouldn't make it to the bottom of the stairwell. And even if he got out, there was no-one out there who would sell to him voluntarily anymore. He couldn't possibly win a fight like this. He just couldn't go out. 

His breath hitched as his stomach suddenly begged for mercy with a deep and gurgling sound. At the same time gravity pulled at his shoulders and tried to force him to the ground. Gavin couldn't 'stand' it anymore. He wanted to turn around and somehow drag himself back to bed, but even that felt like so much wasted effort right now. Gavin took a deep breath to force down the tears that already stung in the corner of his eyes again before he turned his head to follow CA-T007s movement. 

The tiny Android strolled on soundless little steps through the room, past the couch to the windows, and just sat down there. Wide-eyed it stared outside, maybe fascinated by the little footprints of curious birds in the thin sheet of snow on the balcony, before it turned around to look back at Gavin. 'Mew.'

Gavin blinked while his shoulders sunk down even further. 'Mew', said the little Android again and shook its head so its long and fluttering ears made a funny noise. Gavin pulled himself around and slowly followed on scuffling feet.

In the end, Gavin laid down in front of the windows, marrowless and defeated, while the heavy weight on his chest made sure he hadn't even enough breath and energy to cry anymore. There he laid, curled into himself, and stared into the snow grey and white sky while everything hurt so much that soon even breathing felt like a chore. Everything burned away, engulfed in this oppressive black tar that spread like a virus through his tired mind. It left him only with hollow nothingness. Not even sadness survived this drug-induced purge of emotions.

As CA-T007 slipped under his still black and blue left arm and booped its dry little nose to his again, Gavin wasn't able anymore to feel anything at all.

CA-T007 stayed with him nonetheless, curled warm and soothing against his hurting and hitching chest while it gently licked and soothed over Gavins scar. The in-floor heating at least helped on a basic level with Gavins violent shivers while he watched the stale light of the day slowly turn to a red and grey hue. Dust gathered in his hair and clothes.

The tinkling noise of a key that turned inside a lock made Gavin open his bleary eyes for the first time in what felt like endless hours. The door to his apartment opened just shortly after. Gavin couldn't remember the last time he had a guest over and he never gave his keys away for anyone. Still, he couldn't muster the energy to turn around and check. His muscles were hurting and shivering enough to make it again increasingly difficult to think.

The tinkling noise of the set of keys was soon followed by two pairs of steps on the wooden floorboards. One of them sounded as precise as a pair of scissors.

A rather unwelcome presence came to loom right over Gavins strained and tired body. "Gavin...", murmured that ever so soft and lovely voice above him. "Please, don't... "

Gavin blinked to hold back the useless tears that suddenly stung in the corner of his eyes again. "Go fuck yourself... ", he muttered through a feeble sigh without any heat. He didn't say anything else, because it felt like too much effort and way too much wasted energy. His throat was still sore and his tongue felt numb and kind of swollen.

CA-T007 lifted its tiny head out of the crook of Gavins neck and gave a little noise of concern. A plastic white hand with a scarred white seam reached into Gavins line of sight and laid down onto CA-T007s tiny head. All that was followed by a sharp intake of breath.

As the hand slowly retreated and CA-T007 shook its head to righten its flattened ears, two arms pushed awfully gentle under and around Gavins violently shivering body. One looped around his shoulders, while the other stretched under the back of Gavins knees. 

The next moment Gavin was lifted effortlessly as if he didn't weigh a thing. All he could do was humm a low note of disapproval but he hadn't left the energy to start a fight about it. Instead, he let RK900 do whatever he wanted while his head lolled heavily against the Androids shoulder. All he could do about it was breathe a sigh of defeat and just let it all happen.

Connor was with him.

Gavin heard him rustle around somewhere behind them in the kitchen and as he fought to lift his head a little, he saw some signs of his wildly flashing LED. Connor still had one where RK900s temple was now bare, white and riddled with a web of filigrain cracks in his chassis that had a surreal resemblance to a damaged porcelain doll. It was such a shame. Gavin had liked that he almost could see him think. He would miss it badly. 

"Gavin. How are you feeling today?", RK900 lowly murmured into his ear. His dry and smooth lips touched to his temple while he spoke and provoked another shiver out of Gavin, this time for entirely different reasons. Gavin exhaustedly just closed his eyes. He hadn't it in him to answer.

RK900 sat him gently onto the cushions of the couch and kneeled down in front of him. Gavin wanted to say something. That he missed him, or some other equally cheesy nonsense. But right now he just wasn't able to. He couldn't say anything while the shivers and shudders started up again. They were not even soothed by RK900s lingering warmth. 

"Come on", murmured RK900 oh so very softly while his face didn't betray any human emotion at all. One of his hands cautiously caught Gavins chin and forced him to lift his head enough to look into RK900s intriguingly staring eye. Gavin blinked heavily. "How are you feeling today?", RK900 asked again, his voice so low and just so very... intimate.

Gavin couldn't help but stare numbly at the broken shell of the right side of RK900s skull. It reminded him of all the horrors he hadn't just dreamed up after all. The spiderweb of broken plastic looked so very much like scar tissue. The entry wound on his left, right between the artificial jawbone and his throat, was small and looked almost inconspicuous. The white patch over RK900s left eye not so much. His artificial skin around the broken parts flickered in and out of existence what only made the severe damage even more obvious.

Unexpectedly the hollow sound of a gunshot echoed through his mind and made Gavin flinch. RK900 noticed and cautiously lifted a hand. Slightly curled fingers stroked so very gently over his heavily pronounced beard shadow. Gavin could not help but close his eyes like a pacified pet.

It was as if that warm and gentle touch drained the last bit of energy he still had left inside of him. Without his assent, his body tilted forward and his head came to lie down onto RK900s shoulder. 

He just couldn't do this anymore. Everything was just too much to bear. He 'knew' he should be so very thrilled that the person he cared about most was still alive. And still, he felt nothing at all but utter exhaustion.

Even that seemed not quite true as his shoulders started to hitch and a low sob tore out of his sore throat. 

The pain was intense and it was absolute 'everywhere'. In his muscles, deep inside his bones, in his heart - in his fucked up brain. He hurt so much he couldn't think because it pulled him down into a dark well and made him drown in utter despair.

His sore muscles locked into violent shivers again as RK900s fingers gently sunk into his greasy hair. The Android had his answer. He didn't ask again. 

Gavin stayed like this, tilted over while painful hiccups shook his shoulders and made his sore diaphragm hitch with every taken breath. Gavins chest forcefully expanded as he pulled in enough air for a deep but voiceless sigh. 

Two warm hands carefully supported his head and pushed him carefully back just far enough to make room for RK900s observant stare. He scanned him surly. Gavin lowered his gaze, just too exhausted to fight him. CA-T007 jumped up the couch and sat down beside him. Gavin wanted to lift his arm for the tiny Android, to let it snuggle further into his side, but all of his limbs felt like they were filled with wet sand. He just couldn't move anymore. 

Suddenly Connor appeared at his right-hand side and held a glass of water out to him. "Detective? Drink something?"

Gavin didn't really want to. The glass was heavy in his hand and almost slid through his stiff and hurting fingers. The water was cold and through his empty stomach, he only would feel it sloshing through his guts. He opened his mouth to say something close to that, but then his heavy gaze crossed with RK900s observant stare. 

The Androids face was empty, but his voice was again so very soft. "Gavin... please", he murmured. So, what could he do? In the end, Gavin took the glass. Like expected his stomach gurgled noisily as he drank and he was so hungry but still felt way too tired to eat.

"Thank you", RK900 murmured nevertheless.

He took the glass out of Gavins hands and put it down onto the scratched up coffee-table. Then he changed an unexpressive look with Connor. Connors LED blinked in rapid yellow as he slightly lifted his brows and nodded while his lips pressed together into a flat line.

RK900 didn't say anything and just leaned up close again to pull him into an awfully cautious carry, almost as if Gavin wasn't a heavy as hell grown ass adult. Gavin let his head tilt against his shoulder again and just closed his eyes. Until the moment RK900 sat him down at his bathtub. Gavin groaned. "Don't wanna... ", he rasped, raw and tired, almost like a little kid.

RK900 again lifted Gavins head so very gently. The white of his shell exposed his arms right up to his elbows. "Gavin, please", he murmured. "'Please'... You will feel 'so much' better, I promise."

Gavin blinked sluggishly. "But I'm so tired... "

RK900 nodded in acknowledgment but didn't let it go. "I know", he said and his face froze in the same way it did when he was caught in a yellow-red spiral. "You can sleep. I promise I won't let you drown. I will be right here", he said with a slight tilt of his head.

Gavin swallowed. RK900 wouldn't drop it. And of course, Gavin was aware enough to know it was necessary. It didn't mean he wanted to. He breathed a sigh. "...alright..."

In the end, he did it because it was RK900 who asked him to. The water was hot enough to loosen his shivering muscles. RK900 did exactly as he said he would. He helped Gavin through it all. Helped him to wash the grime, blood, and remnants of blueblood away that still stuck to his skin since the day he carried Connor to safety. RK900 had been right. Gavin felt better after it was done. But he also was barely able to keep his eyes open. 

His chest felt constricted as he sat down on a chair at his kitchen table and let RK900 tilt his head back against his broad chest. RK900 applied shaving creme in soothingly long strokes over his sore and reddened cheeks, chin and throat. 

Without RK900s support, Gavin would just have fallen. He steadily slipped between waking seconds and half-dreams while tears stung in the corner of his eyes because of a touching feeling he couldn't quite name.

"You will see", RK900 murmured lowly into his ear and made Gavin shiver once again. Carefully he supported Gavins head with his free left hand. "You will see", he murmured once more. "Everything will be alright. You will get through this, Gavin."

But Gavin wasn't convinced, not really.

Still, he leaned into RK900s soothing and warm hands while the razor slid over his ashen skin and peeled the heavily pronounced beard shadow away from his face. 

The look in RK900s visible eye was one of intense concentration as he used the razor, determined to not even leave one single minor cut behind. His warm fingers caressed over Gavins exposed throat and any strength left in Gavins muscles faded away to leave him vulnerably exposed as his eyes slid shut and a low pacified humm came over his trembling lips. 

He came to the conclusion that, right now, Gavin would let RK900 do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't move and pull his hands away. "Hm not your responsibility", he lowly uttered anyway, because the pitch black slime in his head was still whispering of his soon manifesting doom. What good was that short relief of warmth and care if he knew he would scream and cry and beg again just some hours later. "Hm not your pet... "

But RK900 didn't even blink. "Of course you are not, Detective", he said, so utterly genuine. "But you are indeed my partner. You aren't able to take care of yourself right now. So I will do it for you until you can."

He said it so effortlessly earnest as if he hadn't even to think about it. It didn't make any sense. Gavin breathed out a feeble sigh as his eyes slowly fell closed again. "Some difference between a scraped knee anna addiction... ", he muttered darkly. 

RK900 listened and hummed. "Indeed", he murmured lowly. The razor slid up under Gavins left ear. "A scraped knee you could handle very well on your own."

Gavin didn't know what to say, could barely think over the humm of exhaustion in his brain. The touch to his skin was so warm and gentle. "How're you here, anyway", he rasped as familiar moisture stung in the corner of his eyes. "You're dead... saw you die. An even if you weren't, there's no reason-..."

The tip of a blunt white finger pushed down onto Gavins lower lip in a universal gesture, so he fell silent. RK900 didn't stop his careful ministrations and Gavin felt his mind turn sluggish and heavy. "I am not dead, Gavin. Of course, I am not." 

Gavin sighed what could have been a laugh if he had actually felt like it. "F'course you're not...", he echoed numbly.

RK900 hummed again a low note and pulled the razor gently down his jawbone. "Yes. But 'you' could have died, Gavin. You almost 'did'. You still 'can'. I won't leave you to fight through this alone."

Gavin sighed. "Why t'fuck not... "

The gentle touch to his throat felt suddenly hesitant and almost... frail. 

"You survived the overdose but barely, Detective.", RK900 uttered. Not soothing, not low and caring. His voice was blank as his face as he spoke. A very touchy subject, this one, it seemed to be. "You were without consciousness for two, almost three, full days. The aftereffects of the drug I could observe over the last six days are traumatic enough to kill you all on their own."

Gavins breath hitched. "If just... "

RK900 put the razor down into the basin on the table and gently wiped away the rest of shaving cream with a warm and damp towel that somehow got into his hands. At last, he put one arm around Gavins neck, pushed his fingers into his unruly hair and gently pressed Gavins head back against his chest. "Please, do not say that. I am so very glad you are still alive. You do not deserve this. "

Gavin eyes slowly blinked shut. Ah... but, didn't he...? 

The gentle touch to his cheek made him twitch. "Gavin", RK900 said, his voice again low and soothing. As of now, Gavin began to realize that in RK900s preconstructed scenario as a negotiator, he wasn't actually the hostage-taker. Gavin was the hostage. "You don't. Stop it. It is not true."

Who was his captor then, he wondered? 

The drugs? His cravings? The illness of his mind? 

Gavin couldn't help the hitching of his chest as blood-hot tears burned again over his already reddened and irritated skin. "What of it... "

RK900s thumb wiped them away right before he suddenly leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Gavins temple. Gavin closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. He just couldn't help not to. 

"There are a lot more people who care about you than you feel comfortable to acknowledge", RK900 said while his hand closed around his and pressed their linked fingers to Gavins chest. Goosebumps instantly started to crawl up his naked arms, because Gavin was just so very transparent and fucking useless. He pressed his burning eyes shut and locked his jaw into a snarling bite while the shivers took up again. Maybe for different reasons than before, maybe not. 

RK900 bowed down. Closed both of his arms tightly around Gavins hitching and shaking shoulders and pressed his warm and smooth cheek to Gavins. For a while, he stayed like this, utterly motionless like no human ever could, and just let Gavin cry. 

As he leaned back on his toes, his soothing voice whispered right into his ear. "Please, Gavin", his voice sounded so earnest, almost like he was pleading. "That my inner structure renders me unable to cry, does not mean I wouldn't be devastated. Gavin. You are-... ", there was a sudden hitch in his voice that sounded like a rare software glitch. He stopped. His arms clung even tighter around Gavin. "You are... important. You are my partner. Please, do not forget that."

Gavin sagged into the chair and he stayed like this even as RK900 let go of him to busy himself with cleaning the razor and the bowl of warm water in the sink. 

Gavin lost himself, still violently shivering, in his own head. He only moved to pull the quilt tighter around his shivering body that RK900 threw over his shoulders just a moment later. It smelled of dust and old dog. Gavin stayed like this. Too confused to stop and rest, too exhausted to think.

The haunting noise of a gunshot in his head made him twitch upright again the moment as Connor appeared at his side and tried his best to get his attention.

Connors LED processed in strong as well as fast bursts between yellow and blue while he leaned over to put a bowl of soup down in front of Gavin. It smelled a lot like salt and a bit like chicken. Gavin stared and watched the little drops of grease drift over the yellow-ish liquid surface.

He was so hungry. But at the same time, the sight of the soup alone made his nausea flare up again. He couldn't. He just 'couldn't' eat that. There was no way it would stay down. And Gavin was so damn sick and tired of puking his guts out every second hour or so. But at the same time... the smell 'reminded' him.

Gavin stared unblinkingly into the bowl - not even compelled to reach out for it as the soup slowly stopped steaming. All the while he phlegmatically rolled his sticky tongue through his mouth and 'thought'.

He twitched awake as CA-T007 made a curious noise and reached its paw to his face. The tiny Android sat on the table opposite him, behind the bowl of soup. Wide-eyed it watched Gavin till its gaze shifted down. Curiously it lifted its paw again only to immerse one tiny toe into the bowl and lift it again to lick it clean. 

Gavin tiredly stared and asked himself if it was able to taste anything at all with its sleek but artificial tongue. CA-T007 didn't seem to care. Again it dipped its paw into the bowl. Its sharp grey gaze stayed all the while on Gavins face. As if to provoke a reaction. Or to encourage him to eat. Gavin wasn't quite sure. 

In the end, Gavin didn't even lift his head. Too much effort, too much-required energy. "Hm I allowed t'sleep now...?"

CA-T007 stopped licking its paw. Its pink tongue stuck out in surprise.

Gavin just couldn't deal with this anymore. He was so very exhausted, he wanted to cry again.

RK900 was instantly right there at his side. 

This time Gavin was thankful to be lifted for he was quite sure he wouldn't have made it to his bedroom on his own. 

RK900 sat him down into a freshly made bed. The duvet was still warm and smelled like something soft and flowery. It was comfy and right and just ... nice.

Falling again into shivering pieces, Gavin pulled the blanket up over the quilt and his shoulders while he curled into as small of a space as utterly possible.

"Gavin...?", sounded RK900s low voice through Gavins half-dream. "Would you allow me t-t-to-..."  
He was interrupted through static stutters. After a short moment of silence, a distinctly non-human noise ground deeply through RK900s chest. It was high, almost mechanical and even though it was clearly 'Android', its sound was also thickly layered with an utterly human kind of frustration. "I-... Nevermind", he murmured. 

Gavin didn't comment on it. He was asleep even before RK900 properly sat down at his bedside.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Gavin dreamed of arson and raging cries of spleen. A solitary gunshot rattled through his brain and made him violently twitch awake. It couldn't have been long after last time. The sun wasn't even fully set and still bright enough to make Gavins eyes water. 

A lanky but deceptively strong arm was slung around his shoulders and lifted him carefully upright, out of his sweat-soaked and therefore rapidly cooling duvet. "Ah...Nines...?", Gavin rasped and wanted to blink his eyes open. But every time he tried, light and dry air stung blindingly into them and filled his swimming vision with too much burning moisture. So he couldn't see the face, but he didn't have to.

"No. I'm sorry. "

Connor. 

Gavin took a deep and painful breath. Held it until his chest almost started to feel like a pin cushion. "The fuck're you doing...", he rumbled through clattering teeth as a flat weight settled suddenly onto his lap. A tray. Porcelain lowly rattled now over the shifting surface when he dared to move. Not that he did. His god damn spine hurt like hell. 

"You have to eat, Gavin", Connor said and Gavin shifted his tongue through his mouth. "Just a little. Just 'something'. Please."

Maybe Gavin would have scoffed if his throat didn't feel so raw. "Don't call me that", he huffed instead through gritted teeth and stretched without moving too much. The noise of his popping tendons was loud enough to form the illusion of breaking bones. "You're not-...", he never liked it when people called him by his given name. His name was for his brother. Maybe even for his mother and now he guessed for RK900 as well.  
If RK900s and Connors voice had ever been the same, Gavin sure as shit hadn't picked up on it. But now they weren't. And his given name through Connors ruined voice sounded awfully 'wrong'. 

"Don't call me 'Gavin ', dipshit", he spat out irritatedly and forced his tearing eyes to open. "That's not for you. Why you here anyway?!"

Gavin couldn't see much but some yellow-ish mush on that plate. It smelled a little like sulfur, grease, and salt - so cooked up eggs he guessed. The rising hot steam caught in the back of his sore throat and made Gavin cough in hacking and hitching motions. Connor lifted a hand to stabilize the tray. 

"Im here to provide support", Connor said low and easy in this mind grinding negotiator voice that instantly set Gavins teeth on edge. "It's what family does. The Lieutenant-..." 

"Wait, 'Family'?!", now Gavin felt indeed like he had been set up in some sickening parallel universe. "Family, huh, no really, fuck this. That old boozer should keep his misguided daddy-instincts to himself, I sure as shit never asked him for any of them. You go and be an annoying menace somewhere else."

Gavins heavy gaze shifted down to the tray in his lap again. The smell alone made him so awfully nauseous and the thought of swallowing something even just mildly solid already upset his stomach. He hated this. So damn much... 

Connor let out a voiceless sigh as he sat down on that chair that stood beside Gavins bed for days now. "He didn't have to tell me that you would be... a lot less agreeable. But RK-... 'Nines' asked me to-..." 

Gavins reddened fist slammed down onto the tray and made the plate and cutlery jump over the plastic surface. "Don't care what either of those said to you, you are not needed, go the fuck away."

'A lot less agreeable' - his entire fucking arse. Sudden anger flared quick as lightning through his entire body and flushed his face deeply red in blotchy markings that almost reminded of warpaint.

Connor in comparison only looked exasperated. His low ruined voice made Gavins skin crawl. "Detective, you almost-..."

"Don't 'Detective' me, shithead!", he roared because he didn't want to hear anything of that. He couldn't deal with this. "I sure as all shit can watch out for myself without this... this freaking army of same-faced nanny bots everywhere!"

Connor flinched and at least looked sufficiently taken aback for Gavin to sense a temporary victory. "What", Connor said, blinking through visible confusion. "What are you even talking about?"  
Wild blood hot fury coiled in Gavins belly. Filled him up with bursts of energy he didn't even know he still had left. The tray crashed to the floor as Gavin flicked it with his most powerful move in days out of his god damn sight. "'Go fuck yourself', is what I'm talking about!!", he shouted into Connors face - and first had to brace himself against hacking coughs before he was able to tell him where to shove it next. "Get back to that fat old drunkard and leave me the fuck alone!"

A strong hiccup contracted through his stomach and Gavin was forced to clap a hand over his mouth. Wheezing he bowed over and pressed his eyes tightly shut as waves of sudden sickness made him feel frail and ill again.

The muscles in his chest spasmed rhythmically through deep-seated coughs he couldn't shake and set his still irritated lungs on fire. 

But of course, Connor didn't let him win this. He didn't leave him alone either, that bastard. "You 'know' that he cares, Reed", Connor said instead, rather clipped and formal now. Most likely he tested Gavins reactions to his vocal settings and used the tone that produced the lowest possibility of distress or something. Calculations for everything. Preconstruction, they called it. 

"Oh, does he now?!", Gavin croaked while all blood drained from his face in vicious anger that he couldn't name and didn't want to examine. His stiff and hurting fingers curled into fists while cold sweat gathered under his chin. "Fuck him and fuck you too, I don't need any of you!!"

Connor twitched backward, almost as if to duck the bite of a venomous snake, and furrowed his brows while his LED danced through warning yellow circles. "Don't you?", he asked with a frown.

His confusion and lack of understanding gave Gavin only more fuel for the fire that boiled his blood. "...you say I do...?!", he growled lowly while his upper lip twitched into a dangerous snarl that stretched his scar. "You say I'm not dealing with fucked up shit like this all of my god damn awful, well-fucked piece of crap of a life?!"

Connor blinked. "Reed, you-..."

"No, go ahead!", Gavin roared, almost foaming through his rage. "Tell me that again to my fucking face, you damn near perfect little fucking 'poster child!'"  
Gavins tendons pulled taut as he fought the instinct to again find and grab something to throw. His breath stuttered in his chest while the heat in his head made him unsteady and nauseous. "Always the excited perfect little pet, weren't you, and now you - 'you' who basically walked from the assembly-line yesterday - want to lecture 'me' about how fucked up my life is?!"

Sick and trembling Gavin felt this burning need to get Connor and choke that damn Android until he bluescreened from the error messages produced by his own overheating biocomponents. If Gavin had had the strength left, he might even have tried. He wanted so badly for him to hurt as he did right now. "I live in this shithole thirty-six years longer than you ever even counted as 'alive', you fucking machine!!" 

Connor saw him gasp and rage but finally did not react in any satisfying manner. Of course, he didn't. Instead, the Android tilted his head in a slow almost reptilian kind of way while he studied Gavin like one would an offensive art piece. It reminded Gavin of his simpler instincts when confronted with a sharply watching beast of prey. Something predatory and highly dangerous. "Reed. Do I have to remind you, that RK-...", he halted and blinked before he went on. "That Nines doesn't stop being an Android just because you prefer his presence over mine?"

Suddenly some kind of ice-cold heat coiled inside of Gavins guts and his snarl turned into something even wilder and ugly. "You think this is about-... You dense motherfucker, oh this is just the best shit. Why's it always the same with your lot?!"

Gavins skin burned under his fingertips as he clawed through his sweat-damp hair and over his reddened face. He wanted to rip it open, to peel it off - to break out of his own body that now almost felt three sizes to tight for him. "Always lurking. always judging", he spat. "Because guys like you, of fucking course, could never fall like this. I bet Anderson, that hypocritical sack of shit, loves this, doesn't he?"

Connor didn't answer and this lack of expression, of any kind of meaningful reaction, made Gavin even more furious. "Sometimes it seems like he gets off on playing big daddy as if he has any foot to stand on in this fucking game! And you actually think he cares? That fucking boozer didn't care for anyone else but himself, years before you even were a fleshed out fucking blueprint!"  
The last word caught in his throat and made Gavin almost keel over with strangeling coughs. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as he drew hitching little breaths in between. "So you kindly can go fuck yourself. You are nothing like him, you-..."

Damn it hurt. And it almost choked him. Humiliation burned on his face as Connor pulled him out of his curled up position to stretch out his hitching diaphragm. Gavins head rolled back and his mouth opened wide as he gasped and shivered through another wave of sickening heat.

"Like who?", asked Connor lowly and almost conversational, while his gaze shifted to Gavins chest, most likely to scan his vitals. Gavin couldn't but rasp a laugh that soon turned again into hacking coughs. "Contrary to your sorry arse, Nines knows at least perfectly to shut his trap about things he knows absolutely nothing about. If he doesn't understand things, he won't just crank up his preconstruction bullshit - he actually 'asks me'."

Heavily he turned his head and glared because there wasn't anything he could do beyond that. Connor observed him silently. "He has nothing in common with you", Gavin made his final verdict.

Nines and Connor were nothing alike. There had never been a way one could confuse the two of them if one wasn't a hateful inattentive piece of shit.

Connors gaze shifted upward again to Gavins face. Gavin had no idea why, but he looked... almost relieved somehow. But his expression took a downturn as his hand pressed down over Gavins chest. "It seems you got yourself a case of cold, Detective."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "No shit, Sherlock", he rasped. Connor helped him to stretch out on his back again. "Where is Nines...?"

Connor smiled. "Don't worry so much, Detective. He went for repairs. He will be back before you know it."

Gavins upper lip twitched into a weak snarl. "As if I care. Go the fuck away."

Connor giggled. Actually giggled. As if Gavin had said something actually 'funny'. "You still have to eat, Detective."

Gavin was too tired to fight. "I make you a deal. Give me a glass of water and I promise to drink it - if you leave me the fuck alone afterward."

Connor nodded slightly. "Acceptable. For now."

Gavin lifted a hand and put it over his gleaming eyes. "Then get a move on, dipshit."

Connor snorted but finally stood up and left. Of course only to harass him some minutes later with said glass of water. As he came through the door again, CA-T007 followed right at his heel. The sleek little thing was on the bed before one of them could even blink and wandered up as soon as Gavin laid down again.  
It made a tiny typical cat noise and took a sudden roll, only to snuggle itself in the place between the crook of his neck and Gavins cheek. That little monster.

Gavin tried to blink the exhaustion out of his eyes. His gaze shifted from CA-T007 back to Connor whos grin was wide enough to remind him again of Anderson.

Ultimately, his nose wrinkled up into a toothless snarl. "I fucking hate all four of you..."

CA-T007 leaned over his face to gently lick over his scars again. Connor looked down at him with a satisfied glint in his eyes while his LED blinked through some sudden yellow blips. So fast it could have been imagination.

Gavin closed his eyes.

"Now, get the fuck out of my sight."

A hoarse kind of laugh followed Connor outside.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Gavin woke up like on a new episode of groundhogs day and instantly realized he was totally and utterly fucked. While his throat had been just a bit raw and irritated the last time he had been awake - now it hurt as if he had tried to swallow a chainsaw.

At the same time, his head was completely stuffed. Stuffed full of what, he wasn't quite sure. There was only this dull and hot pressure all around his brain. It all around felt like a really bad case of influenza. The full package deal with heavy limbs, hurting muscles and struggles to breathe through the heat that was suddenly 'everywhere'.

As he closed his eyes Gavin let out a low groan - because he just was that kind of pathetic.

"Ah, there you are", murmured a long missed voice that Gavin almost didn't hear through the constant noise in his ears.

As he blinked open his eyes a second time RK900 came into focus, slightly bowed over Gavins bed, his hands loosely clasped behind his back. "I noticed you had a -... 'disagreement' with Connor", his still one-eyed gaze twitched somewhere besides the bed. The tray was gone, but maybe he spotted some stains...?

"Is everything alright?"

Gavin tilted his head sluggishly into the direction of his voice. "Your brother's an insufferable arsehole... ", he rasped sullenly through grinding teeth.

RK900 smiled. There was this breathless and awkward noise again. Not quite a chuckle, not like a humans. But something very close and warm. "'Needs one to know one' was Detective Chens wisdom of the day. "

"Fuck her", croaked Gavin in affront. "That damn hag is one herself. That's why she knows me so well."

RK900 blinked some motionless seconds before he tilted his head and lifted his brows. "Does she?"

Gavin blinked sluggishly through hazed memories and thought of almost eleven years in that precinct with minimal contact with his co-workers. "No. Guess not."

Not really, at least. And not in the sense RK900 seemed to imply, somehow. 'Somehow' it also was quite important to Gavin that he understood that. Even if he was too tired to figure out why.

Suddenly that tiny coil of warm artificial skin at the right side of his neck shifted around and CA-T007 huddled its little head against Gavins cheek. It yawned impressively wide and followed it up with low purring sounds that rumbled deeply through its tiny body - and therefore also right into Gavins ear. The sound was warm, felt familiar and kind of hypnotic.

"Please, Gavin. Don't fall asleep again. You have to eat. You really have to, this time."

Cool fingers caressed his jawline as Gavin tried to blink himself into a more aware state of mind. It was hard work.

RK900 moved and kneeled down at the side of his bed before he picked something up from the floor. "Eat? Please?"

It was again a bowl of soup on a tray that was now lifted onto the bed. A steaming dish with the familiar smell of chicken, fat and salt. The good stuff you only gave to really, really sick people. Gavin felt his stomach take a sudden roll while he detached his tongue from the sticky dry roof of his mouth. "How long did I...?"

RK900 was bold enough to dip a fingertip into the soup and sweep it over Gavins lower lip. The rich and warm taste on the tip of his tongue was instantly followed by the reaction of a painfully growling stomach. RK900 observed him with his usual scanning stare.

"You were unconscious for two full days. This is your seventh without food and only minimal rations of water. Gavin, if you hold this up you might damage yourselves irrevocably. You 'have to' eat. Please."

Gavin listened and tried to recreate a timeline of events in his head, but the useless thing only felt hollow and heavy. Already seven days of that misery? Of waking up and being so utterly helpless? What a life, huh. What a life.

"Gavin", murmured RK900 as if to calm and entice a skittish animal. "None of that. Come on. Eat."

Gavin let out a deep but voiceless sigh. In the end, RK900 had to help him sit upright because all of Gavins muscles and tendons felt too stiff and painful for movement.

As he now looked down at the bowl in his lap, Gavin felt saliva gather under his heat-swollen tongue as he slavered like a god damn dog. His head was only filled with that one desire to stuff his face until he got sick again. He felt like a starved beast.

Some soup dribbled from the spoon he held in his shivering hand down onto the blanket, but Gavin still felt more in control of himself than he had in days.

The hot and oily liquid burned down his sore throat and warmed him deeply from the inside. It felt divine after so many hours of cold and hot shivers - even though he first was in worry that he couldn't hold it down. Gavin was so distracted by the food, he didn't notice RK900 leave. But soon the Android was back again with a whole bag of white and sweet sandwich bread.

Gavin reacted mostly to the rustling noise of the tearing bag as he turned, but as soon as he had the sweet smell in his nose it seemed as if a thousand years old instincts flared alive underneath his ashen skin. His jaw went slack from the sight of the food alone while his pupils widened and made his eyes water through the sharp white light of a bright winter afternoon. There was just no way Gavin could stop now. He was so god damn hungry.

Gavin groaned as the sweet smell made his stomach churn. As he bit down, he was sure he never tasted anything better in his entire life. It was utterly ridiculous. He felt awful.

The soup was done with in less than five minutes. The bag of bread was almost halfway gone at the same time. Gavin had to stop to give his rolling stomach a chance to catch up with him, even though he still felt rather weak with hunger.

RK900s awkward smile still radiated his satisfaction as he took the tray from Gavins lap. "It will get better, Gavin. I promise", he said, his voice full of warmth and comfort. Gavins couldn't help it. His hand immediately shot out to the Androids black shirt and pulled at the hem. "You don't have to promise me anything, you daft prick", he rasped darkly while his face flushed in humiliation. "None of this mess is your fault. Or has anything to do with you."

RK900 did not move away. Still, Gavin stared down at his blanket and wrinkled his nose into a snarl while his face flushed in blotchy red colors. "...stay...", he murmured lowly.

RK900 didn't move a single artificial muscle which made Gavin feel exceptionally nervous. "Detective", the Android answered in a suddenly so very low tone of voice - with a slight side note of irritation that Gavin didn't quite understand. "You are compromised."

Gavin couldn't stop that painful snort from escaping his hitching chest. "F'course I'm fucking 'compromised' an it's the best excuse I'll ever gonna get", he muttered darkly. A good enough excuse to be so much braver, because who even gave a single shit anymore if Gavin could be dead tomorrow anyway. "Come here. Please", he murmured, even if he still didn't have the guts to look him in the eye. "Stay."

He didn't look at him because he was sure he had to die of utter embarrassment if he did. Gavin twitched as RK900 suddenly came into motion again and put the tray down onto the floor. The hem of his shirt ripped out of Gavins weak grip and he swallowed around the thick lump that formed in the back of his throat as he heard RK900 turn around.

The sudden tears of panic and humiliation that burned instantly in Gavins eyes made it especially awkward as RK900 didn't leave the room, but went determinedly around the bed and settled down into the place beside him in a fluid, almost cat-like, motion. Meanwhile, CA-T007 saved itself with a long jump up to the windowsill and followed the situation attentively from there out of wide grey eyes. Gavin barely swallowed down the groan of relief that tried so hard to escape his sore throat.

Even though the sight of RK900 in his bed made him shake in raw coughing laughter just a second later. The Android sat awkwardly next to him as if it was his first day at school. Designed to take up minimal space, stiff as a board with his hands clasped in his lap and a mostly blank look of Android-Trepidation on his face.

Gavin sunk shaking against his left shoulder and if he had been compromised any further, he might have said something he didn't want to think about right now. "You are ridiculous."

RK900 blinked and slowly turned his head around to him. "So you have said."

Even though everything still hurt, he was way too hot and felt quite light-headed, Gavin was alright. He would live through this another day. And the best thing was, right now in this instant, he actually wanted to. RK900s left arm slowly lifted and curled around his shoulders, so very warm, safe and secure. Perfect. Fuck, Gavin sure as shit was 'compromised', wasn't he...? Even though for completely different reasons as RK900 seemed to think.

"Tell me something", he murmured lowly as his eyelids felt heavy again. "Just... talk. Dunno... What's the thing that weirds you out the most about humans?"

Gavin liked the rumble of his throat and chest when RK900 talked. His rough and low voice was soothing and so very warm. Gavins teeth clattered silently together as the cool shivers started up once more. RK900 hummed in thought before he spoke. "If I have to chose just one thing it would be 'eating'."

Gavin couldn't help but rasp a laugh in surprise. "What, like, really?"

"Hm hmm", hummed the Android in answer. "Just think about it. Your body is a living breathing organism that hunts and absorbs other, sometimes even way bigger, organisms to use their chemical compositions to build itself anew over and over again - and requires even less electricity to function than a common lightbulb."

Gavin blinked his eyes open. Huh. The more you know...? He hadn't quite expected some fun facts going with it, but it was nice to hear RK900 talk about something he considered exciting. Even though almost no human out there still 'hunted' their fuel anymore, if you excluded the hunt for staffers at a local supermarket. But RK900 wasn't done - and sounded so endearingly animated.

"Your entire body is a symbiosis of uncountable microscopic organisms that - somehow - form a single consciousness. You, Gavin Reed, are an absolutely stunning hivemind of beings. Organic lifeforms require to devour each other from the tiniest amoeba to organisms as complicated and big as a blue whale - So basically, your consciousness right now builds itself out of chicken soup."

Gavin lifted his head from RK900s shoulder and slowly tilted it to look at him. RK900s grin was cat-like and wide. Gavin didn't bother with a response, just pulled a pillow from behind his back and slammed it into his damn stupid face. RK900s shoulders shook through almost smothered breathy chuckles. "You can't suffocate me, Detective", he mumbled through a mouth full of pillowcase.

Gavin turned the heel of his hand around a last time, before he let the pillow drop down to the bed again. "Won't stop me from trying, sometimes."

RK900 stared at him, openly grinning, even though he looked a little unhinged like this - and so very happy it was kind of blinding.

Gavin wrinkled his nose in a toothless snarl while his face turned hot and tingly. Instead of snapping at him, he decided to just settle down and pull the blanket all the way over his shoulders and head. "Why the fuck are you such a god damn weirdo...?!", he whined and pulled his arms tightly around his shoulders.

RK900s low chuckles suddenly stopped.

There was no answer or movement from him until maybe three minutes later as his hand laid a bit hesitantly down onto Gavins covered head. Most likely RK900 was still thinking because he didn't say anything. Gavin almost fell asleep again like this.

He startled out of his daze as RK900 suddenly shifted down. The Android straightened himself out in the bed and his right hand dipped slightly under the blanket to lift it from Gavins heat- and fever-flushed face. While he did that, his knuckles caressed upward Gavins left cheekbone.

"Because", he murmured lowly and searched attentively for Gavins crossing gaze. "I wasn't meant to be like this."

Gavin felt his stomach take a roll and blinked sluggishly while his face felt even hotter to the touch. Awkwardly he cleared his sore throat as his brows slowly pulled together. "What's 'that' supposed to mean, now...?"

RK900 smiled, but not in his usual awkward but happy way. It looked stiff and completely unmoving. Unnervingly so, like no humans ever could. A reminder, again.

RK900s eyelids fluttered for a blink as he clearly loaded some external data in. As he opened his mouth again, a deep chill fluttered all over Gavins skin in prickling goosebumps. "The RK900 is designed for high speed chases up to 60 kmh - and additionally 15 kmh if its handler deactivates its secondary self-preservation protocols."

The voice that came now out of RK900 wasn't his own. It was distinctly female and low and... kind of intimidating. What it said sounded sharp, like a list of specs told at an auction - or a model presentation. Whatever, it made Gavin instantly and profoundly uncomfortable.

"But be aware, of course, it will not break if pushed even further. The 60 kmh mark is merely noted as the point of minor friction damage to its outer chassis. At full speed, it can pursue fugitives of any kind up to 43 hours in a field test. All of its joints are reinforced to make sure the hydraulics in even its most fragile extremities can produce the maximum of strength and pressure. In fact, it can snap human bones with only the use of two of its fingers - and we, of course, understand that this sounds a little uncomfortable and excessive for you, but be aware of how much force is necessary to dismantle even a common AX400 household Android. Now imagine a deviant TR400. Force like this seems excessive, but it's indeed a necessity and will save the lives of your employees."

RK900 breathed through a pause that felt like it was designed for someone to shift statistical data around on a projector. Meanwhile, Gavins eyes lowered instinctively down to his hands. The colorless hands of an Android that always searched so desperately for a connection - but was quite literally able to snap Gavin in half with minimum effort.

"To ensure its capability to protect its human coworkers, its teeth are crafted out of hardened titanium like the rest of its skeleton, so if handicapped it is still able to hold onto its targets and -...", there was a weird little pause, followed by a laugh. Like someone threw in an absurd question. "Not quite like a police dog, Mister. But how you rightfully noticed, designed in its likelihood. Its jaw absolutely 'can' bite through the skeleton structure of the most common household models - but be assured we didn't design it to maul and devour its targets."

Again an awkward pause, like designed for a macabre laugh-track. Gavins eyes shifted to RK900s hard jawline all on their own.

"Its eyes can track and recognize minimal shifts of movement and differences in its environment, supported by eight hundred thirty-three different trackers and up to date sensor technology. Thanks to the state of the art optical units, there is no longer something like a peripheral vision for Androids. It has direct and complete control over all the data input it receives in its field of vision. Additionally, to the hardware, the software functions connect the RK900 directly to your local Police servers and the criminal database. Even though we still aren't able to reproduce the resolution of a human eye, the hardware works smoothly with the specially designed software solutions to make the RK900 able to track and identify up to sixty faces at a time in its whole field of vision. More is possible but note that it will slow down reaction times for now. It is still a Detective model, not made for riot gear and direct crowd control."

There was even more, but RK900 cut it off mid-sentence and blinked himself again out of that creepy advertisement mode. He looked shaken in the most human way Gavin ever saw him mimic - if he had to 'mimic' his discomfort after that at all.

Gavin didn't know what to say. Everything about this was again so weird and awkward. Especially since Gavin was apparently sharing a bed with some unholy combination of RoboCop and Terminator right now. But most of all bothered him RK900s shock-frozen face. The same unmoving, unblinking stare as the one from their conversation at the Thai restaurant some days ago.

Gavin made an effort to pull his face into a highly exaggerated snarl full of open disgust and aversion. "Don't always 'brag' so shamelessly, you damn dork-bot."

RK900s sharp observing stare shifted over his face and slowly he lifted a brow. Gavin pulled up his shoulders equally slowly in a defensive reflex, even though he didn't quite know why, and felt his insides squirm around a core of flaming heat.

RK900s following smile was blinding. It made Gavins insides squeeze and hurt and also flooded him with utter relief.

"You see", RK900 murmured as he suddenly shifted closer until their noses almost touched. "I was constructed for a war against my own people. I was 'never' intended to be an actual person. I was never intended to be... funny. Or gentle, or kind. So when I do and want 'this' -..."

Gavins eyes widened almost comically as RK900 shifted even closer. Suddenly the space between them was too hot, almost electric, while Gavins heart hammered painfully away under his sternum. Because RK900 ducked his head and pushed it right underneath Gavins jaw - against his nervously swallowing throat - while his arms closed tightly around Gavins lower back to pull him into a strong hug.

"When I want 'this'", the Android said with emphasis as his fingers hooked into the hem of Gavins sweat-damp sleep shirt. "I 'know' it hasn't a thing to do with the programs running my core components. I like to think that this is only 'me'."

Gavin could hear the serene smile in his voice. The satisfaction of a person that was utterly at peace with themselves. "This one, it is all mine."

Gavin swallowed around a massive knot in his throat while prickling heat filled his eyes and contorted his vision. His hurting fingers dug into RK900s black shirt while so many things to say rushed through his stunned mind. Many things he wasn't sure he could say, even if he wanted or felt like he needed to.

RK900 lifted his head again and he looked again so. god. damn. happy.

"Gavin", he murmured lowly and leaned into him. His nose brushed tenderly alongside Gavins. "Take a breath for me?"

....

Gavin gasped. A sickly rasping, horribly human sound, while he felt like a floating, weightless mess. But since RK900 was not human in the same way as him, he didn't care for any whimsical human standards and conventions and wasn't bothered by Gavins zombie-like state of being at all. Instead, he looked at him with an intense stare of wonder.

Gavin blinked like a deer caught in headlights. Still short on breath, he cleared his throat and swallowed again as he tried to think through the loudly humming static noise in his mind. His hands shifted upwards to RK900s shoulders and his fingers dug into his black shirt while he was still utterly speechless.

At this moment, like a real bright spark, Gavin finally realized how close they actually were right now. It was barely possible to be any closer than this. Gavins stomach took a loop as RK900 suddenly leaned back enough for their eyes to meet again. The bright flecks of grey in RK900s stormy right eye reminded Gavin with a shiver of an open night sky.

"Gavin", he murmured low and intimate while his nose brushed again alongside Gavins. "I would very much like to kiss you right now."

\- Gavin was sure this ice cold shiver he felt right then and there run down his spine was his soul leaving his body.

His mouth opened and closed uselessly as he couldn't find even the simplest response. Could only stare like some utter imbecile. "Wha-... You-...", Gavin stuttered through the sudden pain of a hammering heart - until he blinked himself almost aggressively out of it and bared his teeth in a defensive snarl. "The fuck -... 'why'?!"

RK900 still smiled serenely and his expression was so daftly happy and earnest, it just left no room to interpret this nonsense as a mindless joke. 'Not made to be funny', indeed, that menace.

But RK900 didn't let himself get baited into the safe territory of a fight, either - He went even harder for it because that was just who he was. "Because, to my knowledge, it is one of the most common ways for humans to show affection", he said with an air of 'duh' following in its wake, that made Gavin instantly want to slap a pillow over his damn face once more - or maybe even something more weighted.

Furthermore, there was something about the words he used that made Gavin instantly call bullshit. Lowly Gavin hummed through a scowl. RK900 swallowed noticeably. A quite unnecessary human gesture he might even have picked up from Gavin himself.

"In addition", he said slowly with a slight nod of his head. "I am, of course, quite curious. Androids do not have any natural occurring bonding instincts ... or a biological need to seek out a partner. I don't quite understand what I am searching for. But I 'know' that I want it to be 'you'."

Gavins face almost felt ready to melt from his bones. Uncomfortable he shifted in RK900s embrace, even though the mere thought of breaking out of it was just inconceivable. Finally, Gavins hands laid down over the Androids artificial collarbones while his left eyebrow twitched almost up to his hairline.

RK900s low chuckle startled him. "Fine", he finally said. "I want to 'and' it gives me a unique opportunity to check on your overall health and hormone levels."

Gavin swallowed thickly and couldn't help but stare. His heart hammered so fast against his insides, he felt hot and cold and completely lightheaded. In a nervous reflex, he wetted his lips and noted the twitch down in RK900s watchful eye. "The-... ", awkwardly he had to clear his throat again to get more over his dry lips than a pathetic croak. "The last days have been scary, haven't they...?"

RK900s smile fell, slowly but surely, till his face went blank like a clear canvas - still not ready to give expression to whatever it was he was feeling right now. "Gavin. They still are", he said. One of his hands came up from behind Gavins back and caressed his cheek in a so very mindful and caring gesture. "You still could die. It is still not over."

Gavin nodded slowly. Yeah. He knew.

Reluctantly his left hand uncurled from RK900s shirt and stretched up to grasp his hand. Once more it was as white as porcelain since RK900 seemed to be so desperately in need of a connection of any kind. Gavin frowned but stubbornly held onto it.

"Gavin... ", RK900 murmured, low and close. His deep voice forced a perfectly perceptible shiver down his spine. Irritably Gavin pulled a face. "Shut the fuck up. I'm still compromised."

That somehow made RK900 smile again. "'The best excuse there is', you said."

Yeah, he had said that, hadn't he.

Gavin blinked his eyes tightly shut while a deep but voiceless sigh forced itself out between his grinding teeth. Finally, he tilted his head and pressed his prickling face right into the crook of RK900s elegant neck.

RK900 smelled like nothing, really. There was this whiff of cheap soap and neutral detergent that clung to his clothes, but he himself...?

Gavin leaned up until his nose brushed the artificial skin right under RK900s ear and took a deep and calming breath while both of his arms closed tightly around him. Still nothing like a natural scent - but there was an odor of warmed silicone that reminded Gavin in its intensity of the stench of a factory-fresh car. Only so much more pleasant because it was familiar and perfect.

"You're a moron", sighed Gavin out of a dry and hurting throat. "What do you care for any of this bullshit, anyway. You aren't bound to our crippling need for companionship. Why of all things do 'you people' fall for the scam of affection and -... It doesn't make any sense. What do you even get out of that crap."

To say Gavin was an angry and bitter person didn't give him enough credit. He was also wildly pessimistic and in a long term relationship with his favorite twins: self-deprecation and self-sabotage.

RK900 chuckled and of course didn't let it go. "What I get out of this, you ask?", he spoke through a voice thick with warm amusement. "Reed, you are ridiculous."

How to get Gavin Reed utterly furious in five words or less.

"What do you even know about anything?!", he spat back instantly, even though it ended in a painful coughing fit. "You know nothing about affection, absolutely nothing about human intimacy! I 'know' how you learn your shit!!"

Some random day RK900 had been woken up at cyberlife tower with a head full of theoretical knowledge about absolutely everything. But he was right to still feel uncomfortable around humans because all his stored psychology lessons meant utter shit compared to actual lived experiences. That was why Connor was around here somewhere in the first place. "You don't understand 'shit' about other people but now you suddenly want to kiss them?! What the fuck is-... "

"Gavin", RK900 shut him up with nothing but the lowest murmur right into his ear. Gavins fingers clawed into his high collar. "I don't want to kiss 'other people'. I want to kiss 'you'."

Gavins breath caught in the back of his throat and made his shoulders hitch in a winded cough. His face contorted again into a splotchy red grimace of embarrassment while his eyes widened and he wanted to scream. Maybe even at RK900, because why the fuck would he even want to?!

Gavin had to force his shoulders down first before he was able to loosen his hold on RK900s neck and lean far enough back to look into his unblinking but still functioning right eye. His nose wrinkled up in a defensive snarl. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why do you even want to? You know better than anyone how keyed up and broken I am?! I look like something dead on the roadside and most likely smell like something diseased and rotten. And you-...

Four warm and gentle fingertips sealed over his mouth and forced him to stop his rant. RK900s eye almost seemed to sparkle with something like glee. "You should know that you always look rather dashing to me."

Gavin could have pulverized diamonds between his grinding teeth. Stiffly he leaned out of RK900s touch and rolled his eyes in an almost painful gesture. "Why do 'I' have to deal with the cheesy bot?! Why, just-... ", Gavin groaned and pressed his forehead hard against RK900s shoulder who had the audacity to chuckle. "You don't just kiss people because you are curious, you fucking weirdo!", Gavin finally hissed into his face. "Or because you want to check on them."

RK900 still looked quite amused but at least had this attentive stare that showed he was listening. "What would be a good enough reason to want to kiss someone, then?", he asked. Even though he sounded quite sarcastic and snarky Gavin knew him well enough to know he was earnestly curious. So earnest, in fact, it made Gavin angry and flushed his face in embarrassment. "What-... I-... I don't know?! To like someone in that way, in the least?!"

"Well, I like you very much."

"I'm talking about attraction, you menace!"

"And how would I know if I'm attracted to you?"

"HOW THE FUCK WOULD I KNOW?!", Gavin roared back and lost his last string of patience while his lungs burned with every short and hitching breath he took. "I don't know, okay?! I'm -..."

He stopped himself and took a deep and calming breath that still rasped quite sickly through his sore throat. "I'm -... I have 'no idea' how shit like that works. You just don't go around and -... "

His frustration left a bitter taste on his tongue. "Nobody does that, alright?! Just don't."

"Gavin... ", RK900 murmured low and patient like a damn saint. But there was also something deep and lurking in his voice. It reminded Gavin of something purring and hungry. "You already live so much longer than me. And you say nobody ever wanted to kiss you?"

Gavins face contorted into a mask of ugly discomfort. "The last person I kissed was a maybe seventeen-year-old girl named Lena Romanov who thought that my depression and bad boy business was kind of 'hot' or something?!"  
To think about it, even after all these years, still made him cringe. "An I didn't do it because I was into her or because she was pretty or something - I did it because she seemed to be the only genuinely nice person in my life. She was there and warm and gave the best hugs."

While he talked he felt the sharp sting of angry tears in the corners of his eyes and lowered his stare to RK900s chest in burning humiliation. "I'm not into people like I should be. I never was. And I might not even be into 'you' in the way you seem to expect me to."

There was a thick moment of silence. And it hurt like something squeezed around his heart and lungs. Gavin blinked and ground his teeth to distract himself from the building pressure in his chest. As RK900 finally moved again, it made him twitch. The Androids white hands both lifted to his face and carefully forced Gavins chin up. RK900s thumbs brushed tenderly over his cheekbones as he gently forced him to look into his eye. "Gavin. I assure you that I don't expect 'anything' from you."

RK900 smiled brightly like a star, open and warm - he didn't seem to have prepared any kind of defenses.

Gavin got suddenly aware that he could completely ruin this man the same way he himself had been ruined for himself and others if he didn't watch himself and his usually so biting and venomous words, full of old and bitter vitriol. He didn't want that. Of course, he didn't.

"But you also see me again quite curious. Deviancy in human expressions of romance and sexuality is common enough but of course, you of all people got the low percentage dice roll to perfection."

Gavin blinked himself out of his sudden almost panic-inducing realization, shook his head and pulled a face in utter confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about, now? And don't say 'sexual deviancy', it's fucking rude."

He seemed to have missed a step of context there too, so Gavin rolled the conversation backward in his head, but he still didn't get it. "I'm not gay if you mean that", he said. But even as he said it he noted there was absolutely no reason for him to sound so sure. "I -... I think. But even if I was, you aren't exactly a person I could shove into a human 'gender norm' box, could I ...?"

RK900 shrugged. "If you look at it in terms of societal typical expectations of a fully grown man, then you probably could", he said easily enough - and made Gavin blink wildly through a dead-eyed stare as he tried to figure out if his partner had just subtly implied to him that he was indeed in possession of a fully functioning dick.

With a flaming hot face, Gavin wanted to throttle that damn Android again. And RK900s wide and kind of smug grin made clear that he knew exactly which turn Gavins thoughts had taken.

With a deep groan, Gavin buried his heated face in his hands and slowly shook his head in utter defeat. "Please, just -... what the fuck are you even talking about...?", he huffed through his fingers, more tired than angry.

RK900 let his gaze wander as he tilted his head and shrugged in an exaggerated gesture. "I guess, I 'am' quite curious. While I, of course, can't be sure, you never showed any of the typical signs. You don't react any different to human or android men or women - with an exception for those who irritate you or make you angry. None of the typical markers of sexual attraction. Not even to me."

Gavin blinked wide-eyed through the space between his fingers and felt kind of flattered as well as utterly creeped out at the same time for standing so closely under RK900s observation. Still, he wasn't very impressed. Grumbling he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Did you actually listen to what I said, or...?"

"I don't care about any artificially placed societal norms, Gavin", said RK900 bluntly with a shake of his head. "I don't care much about other people in general. I don't know how. But I care about 'you'. And I want to know every single thing there is to know about you."

Unmoving Gavin stared up into RK900s face and slowly lowered his hands from his own. His brows furrowed as he cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to come up with something to say to that. That had to be the cheesiest line Gavin ever heard in his entire fucking life. And he still didn't feel like laughing at all - because RK900 was so frighteningly earnest.

This was a conversation some people would have referred to as 'the talk'. They were both grown ass men and now would talk about their fucking feelings.

"I especially like how we are both on equal footing in this", RK900 said and his voice lowered again into an intimate murmur that didn't fail to remind Gavin that they were both in a bed, under a blanket, and in minimal hugging distance. "You do not know how this works either."

Gavin was so damn irked by this because he wasn't a fucking child. Fuck how helpless and weak he felt, he wasn't a nineteen-year-old isolated and confused mess anymore. Almost in protest, he shoved his arms around RK900s waist and 'pulled'.

RK900 was a weird kind of lightweight. Made out of the toughest materials cyberlife could afford, he was, just like Connor, still not anywhere near as heavy as a fully grown human of his size. Even though it was quite possible that right now at least, he brought more to a scale than Gavin did.

Gavin crossed his arms on his lower back and pressed his cheek tightly and in utter spite to RK900s chest, while he used that shift in position to force himself to stop staring into that damn fucking perfect face like some braindead creep.

He had to remind himself more than once that whereas Gavin had been born and raised and came with over thirty years of traces of life and usage, RK900 was still a mostly blank slate and literally 'designed' by at least a dozen marketing bimbos and artists to look like an utterly perfect pretty boy.

Now, he had his own scars, scratches, and visible glitches, but there would be a hell of a lot more to come in the following years of his life.

And fuck it, Gavin already knew all of his marks would only make him even more beautiful.

"Har har - fuck you. I know exactly how this works, dumbass", he rasped through nervously gritted teeth. "I just have strongly limited personal experience."

The fingertips of RK900s right hand tangled again into Gavins hair and pushed his head just that little bit tighter to his chest. Gavin closed his eyes and listened to the hollow but calming sound of flowing thirium and the silent humm of something sparkling and electric. His arms locked even tighter around RK900s waist and he could hear his smile as he tilted his head down to whisper right into Gavins ear. "Just like me, Detective. In this, we are completely alike."

Gavin rolled his stinging eyes through a deep and tired sigh. "Don't 'Detective' me, smart arse."

RK900 disgustingly fond laugh rumbled through his hollow chest and made Gavin shiver once more. "Whatever you say, Gavin. It is alright. You are fine."

Gavin tightly closed his eyes as he could no longer hold back the tears. It was so utterly ridiculous how that simple statement got so deep and fast under his skin. For as long as Gavin remembered people had treated him like something wasn't right with him. As if he was somehow lacking something essentially human. RK900 not only observed him every day but came with a thousand different inbuilt databases on humans and observed human behavior - and he still said it was alright. That he was 'fine'.

RK900s expression dropped and he looked kind of hilariously helpless as Gavin started to cry once more and he had never cried so much and hard his entire fucking life. And while he loathed having an audience - to simply bury himself into RK900s arms and press his cheek to his chest somehow felt freeing like nothing else before.

"I-...", stammered the Android with a voice glitching through nervous bursts of static. "I just wanted-... You don't have to cry, Gavin...?"

Gavins answer garbled through his sore throat, mostly distorted by his wheezing voice. "Oh, believe me, if I don't, I'll only make myself sick again..."

He couldn't speak anymore as his hitching chest seemed to fill up with hot water. RK900s hands reached up to wipe the tears away in soothing motions, barely touching. Gavins short breath shivered and his jaw locked into a grinding bite as he forced his eyes to open enough to look at him.

RK900 didn't smile, but his earnest voice shook Gavin deep to his core. "Gavin... It is alright. You will be alright", he murmured. Two strong arms closed securely around his shoulders. RK900s embrace stayed as before tight and full of comforting warmth. It made Gavin feel even more like crying.

"Hm just so... tired", Gavin murmured into RK900s shoulder. "I just want-... I need to-...", he huffed and wept silently around failing words. "It's...being me... it's so fucking exhausting..."

RK900s fingers in his hair halted in their calming motions. Until the Android lowly hummed in a quiet answer while something shifted in his voice. "If you need to rest your head a little then 'I' can undertake to be you for a while. Dipshit."

Gavins eyes blinked open wide.  
Another shiver made him squirm, because 'this' was just so fucking damn creepy.

But it still made him huff and cough into RK900s shoulder in raspy and painful laughter. "Okay", he pressed out of his constricted chest with a sharp nod. "That was horrifying. But also kind of hilarious."

RK900 hummed again and this time Gavin could hear the satisfied smile in his voice. They kept on lying together like this for a while. It gave Gavin enough time to calm down, even though he still couldn't stop the tears from falling. His head hurt so much, he had to rest his eyes. Just for a second or two...

"Gavin?"

Gavin hummed.

"I am sorry I cannot make it better."

Gavins chest constricted and hitched into breathless laughter. He laughed until everything hurt. He laughed until his hitching voice garbled again through burning hot tears. "...Hm so fucking glad you're still alive..."

On the windowsill, the tiny figure of CA-T007 closed its eyes in a slow blink and purred in satisfaction.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Gavin wasn't awake, not really.  
There were fingers in his hair that tucked tenderly at his brown strands and scratched over his sore skin and made the irritated nerves underneath tingle in pure bone-melting pleasure. The feeling of calm and warmth was powerful enough to daze Gavin into complete inertia.

Meanwhile, his mind dipped randomly into the shallow puddle of his dream-space and pulled out calming noises and familiar scenes. Gavin didn't want to wake up.

Curled into the heat of the sun he laid on a quilt while his fingers bit tightly into the folds of RK900s black and white jacket that he kept squeezed closely to his chest. A repeating but distant noise of a chirping bird tickled his ear while RK900 sat beside him on the sun-warmed quilt and looked out for strangers with an ever so watchful eye. The fingers of his left hand tangled into Gavins sweat-soaked hair.

Somewhere further in the distance sounded a voice that reminded Gavin of someone important, even though he couldn't quite grasp it. Low murmurs of nothing consequential in the distance.

Gavin kept on swimming through this hazy dream-space and it was the first time in days he slept without noteworthy interruptions and gave his tired brain a chance to rest and heal.

"...- didn't get you out, only for you to get into my brothers pants, you know", uttered the strange voice. The bird kept chirping. A butterfly danced by Gavins ear. Tiredly he hummed through that perfect feeling of serenity. This was nice...

Somewhere behind him a faceless stranger sat down on a creaking park bench and fumbled with a smartphone. "Don't get snarky with me, you-... I was sure you would stabilize him."

Gavin stretched without moving significantly and kept his eyes stubbornly closed. It felt so pleasant, even though a cold breeze persistently pulled at his shirt until his clammy skin broke out in shivering goosebumps. It was quite chilly under that lone tree, even though the sun burned down on them out of a pale blue sky and prickled on Gavins heated skin.

RK900 put his book without a title aside and moved to gently tuck his jacket out of Gavins arms - only to throw it over him like a kind of blanket. It was so big it seemed to dwarf Gavins gaunt figure.

The stranger behind them on that park bench sat with haughtily crossed legs as if he owned the thing. "Tsk! As if that mulish moron ever accepted therapy", he said with a dismissive flip of his hand. "And don't 'Mr. Kamski' me. As it looks right now, we might as well be brothers in law."

Gavins little brother rolled his ever so sharp grey eyes and wrinkled his nose, but - thank the gods - still held tightly onto his hand as Gavin navigated them through the masses of hollow-eyed strangers in search for the right hall with the science-y robotics-stuff exhibition Elijah had begged him for weeks to see. "What? Want to say you don't love him? I can see you just fine from here", he complained moodily, but Gavin showed him no mind. He was just cranky because he hadn't eaten a thing before they went out.

"Of course I know. But just because it is a part of your basic functions doesn't mean what you are feeling is somehow less 'real'", said the passing by stranger on the phone as Gavin stepped out into sunlight again. A cat walked little eights between his legs and marked his trousers with tingling warm touches.

"You know, I could break that code for you. It wouldn't even be that hard."

CA-T007 looked expectantly up to Gavin, so he bowed down and lifted the tiny Android onto his arm before he went for the kitchen. He needed a coffee. He needed -...

"An interesting question. You don't think it would be the same?", asked the presenter in hall E-39 and Gavin was so damn proud as Elijah wasn't intimidated just because that prick wore a fancy title with his striped tie. No one knew their names here and nobody cared for one Elijah Reed, who argued armed with highly advanced knowledge, about robotic motion scripts and military Android structures, because he wasn't even ten years of age.

"But you are still quite happy with your own limitations, aren't you?"

Gavin curled up through to these persistent shivers that ran down his spine and made his teeth clatter noisily together. He let out a heavy sigh of relief as strong arms closed tightly and warm around his shoulders to pull him in. Gavin didn't open his eyes but nestled deeply into RK900s embrace. The shivers didn't stop, but it was so much more pleasant. This was ... perfect. Warm, lovely and perfect.

"There are humans who can't leave their houses without turning their keys six times in a daily ritual."

Gavin ground his teeth together while he turned the key to his and his little brothers' room in the middle of the night. He moved painfully slow and careful so the monster wouldn't hear the noise. It smelled the fear and always went for the weak. Tonight was a bad one.

"That's not true. You can tell him anytime. He will always make sure. I know, because he is as love-struck as I ever saw him. He won't take advantage, because he is-..."

Gavin shifted with a voiceless sigh and pressed his face tightly enough into RK900s chest for the creases of his shirt to leave visible imprints on his cheek. Porcelain-white fingers caressed his heated skin in soothing motions and burrowed even deeper into his hair.

"Nines. What you are describing is the basic principle of 'love'. The life of another person being more important, more real, than your own. The question is: are you comfortable with that feeling or would you rather live your life without it?"

Gavin sat on his place at the dinner table, upright and stiff as he tried not to move unnecessarily for not to attract the attention of the monster that sat beside him every day. His muscles pulled taut. The stress made him feel hollow and anxious while he felt his little brothers' eyes on him who always seemed to search for some kind of guidance. Gavin made sure the monster didn't notice.

"No, they do so through friendship, patience and a lot of intimacy. It's all hormones in the end", said Elijah who lazed around on his bed with one of his schoolbooks pulled dramatically over his face. Exams had him cranky and contrary the whole week because it was all so mind-numbingly boring. He drove Gavin up the walls - and still, the disgruntled look on his face made him laugh like nothing else.

"If you really believed that you wouldn't be where you are right now. Don't be boring."

Gavin opened his eyes through a groggily slow blink. All light around him was burning bright and everything felt hot enough to melt his skin off of his hurting bones. RK900 still hadn't let go of him.  
A low and tired humm rumbled through Gavins sore throat. His head tipped back as he blinked up into the Androids artfully pale face.

RK900 watched attentively any of his minor movements while a fond smile played around his lips. Deeply affectionate he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to Gavins brow. Gavin closed his eyes.

"His brain chemistry is recovering from a dangerous and sudden imbalance. It's not that different from what happens should the nano transmitters inside your thirium supply burn themselves out", said that doctor on station 407 as Anderson sat heavily down at Gavins bedside. Immovable and strangely patient he listened to countless doctors and specialists with a face that betrayed no emotion at all. He never talked or lifted his heavy gaze but still held onto Gavins hand so tightly that it hurt. Since the accident that was the longest time, Gavin had seen him aware and dry. The realization, that only the misery of others kept the Lieutenant sane enough to remember a 'before', made Gavin so angry and bitter he never quite recovered from it all. The pain medication for his split open face made him drift through hours and days. Anderson was always there when he woke up.

"Exactly. We humans have extremely powerful transmitters in our blood, as well", murmured Gavin in wide-eyed fascination as he watched his arm after he had pushed the plunger down. He wasn't sure what he expected to happen. There wouldn't be anything to see but some droplets of blood in the crook of his left arm after he pulled the syringe out of his skin. Slowly he wiggled his fingers and felt the tendons shift while his field of vision narrowed down. He felt his breath rattle through his frail body and was so sure he could hear the oppressively dark colors of his room shift and lurk as they kept creeping tightly around him. Daddy would be 'so' proud now, wouldn't he? Gavin giggled and imagined a firing gun in his twitching hands.

"What Gavin is experiencing is a serious drop of serotonin in reaction to the Red Ice overdose and the artificial hormones the drug entails", said the therapist that seldom took her eyes off of her notepad, not interested in discussing any treatments she already knew Gavin wouldn't accept anyway. He wouldn't talk, wouldn't swallow endless sets of pills and he didn't care if she declared him sane and safe or not. Once a year he had to care for an official evaluation. This was not one of those. So Gavin just crossed his arms and waited for time to pass.

"You are doing fine. The best way to restore and assure his sanity is now literally touch and closeness. Just stay with him. He needs you."

Gavin kept his eyes tightly closed even as CA-T007 kept bothering him relentlessly. It couldn't be that the little thing was hungry, so Gavin assumed it was just bored out of its tiny mind after its first night alone in an apartment with only a sleeping human around for company. Patient and persistent it pulled at the blanket and nipped at his skin until Gavin couldn't take it any longer and pulled himself upright with a deep and long-suffering groan - at 4 o'clock in the morning. Finally, he found himself on his couch with a lap full of highly adorable Android-cat. With a cup of lukewarm coffee in his left hand, he scratched and curled his right over the warm and shifting skin behind its big ears while CA-T007s rumbling purr filled the silence of the apartment with content warmth. There it happened the first time that Gavin asked himself if Androids maybe feared loneliness the exact same way as humans did.

He twitched out of his musings and found himself on a park bench in the bright afternoon sunlight. The stranger beside him played with his phone in a bored manner. The glasses on his nose looked way too big for him. "Well, I guess we could stuff him full of artificial substitutes and antidepressants, but you heard the Doc. It's an ugly short-term reaction. It will right itself on its own, but it will need time. Substitutes of any kind will also put even more stress on his messed up metabolism", he said with a dismissive gesture as that bird kept chirping. Gavin tried to remember and give a face to the voice he was hearing, but the memory dripped through his fingers like ladled water.

"Exactly. Stay put, Nines. It will get worse before it gets better. Sadly it's like this with humans", said Connor and put a hand down onto RK900s shoulder before he stepped around him and left the scene. RK900s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Gavin always felt uncomfortable in moments like this. He remembered a little person at his side, clutching his arm and ask relentless questions he never had satisfying answers for.

Connor had answers, though. He shared them with every single touch. RK900s attention was instantly on him whenever they met. Gavin somehow found himself jealous of a chance he never got for himself.

"Now don't get sassy with me, I fucking 'made' you!", hissed that lanky little boy at the clunky silver skeletal structure of something that might or might not resemble a small dog. It was an ugly thing with too many open wires and a strongly constricted range of movement. Somehow Elijah had built it out of some old smartphones and lots of scrap he foraged from old school equipment and old tech bulk trash from their neighbors. Gavin had absolutely no idea how anything about it worked - but he knew right then and there that his little baby brother might grow up to become a person that everyone would recognize. The night Gavin sat himself down and saw the first interview, it hurt like he was dying and still, he had been so very proud.

"... He's a horrible influence on you."

Gavin kept his eyes tightly closed and hummed enclosed in content warmth. He figured that he was, mostly. The bad example that made others shine so much brighter by comparison. But maybe he was alright with that.

As long as the people he needed the most kept shining like the brightest stars.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Gavin was woken by the intense pain in his limbs. He just felt so god damn awful, he could barely comprehend what was happening to him. His tendons felt like they were on fire, while his muscles were all hard and stiff and hot like lightning. His head was full of way too loud static noise and he wanted to plead for someone to make it all just 'stop'.

Painful nausea forced him to move before he soiled himself and dad would be so mad if he did. Shivering like a leaf he crawled through disgustingly sweaty blankets until his arm suddenly reached into empty space and he tumbled head first to the floor. Wide-eyed he laid utterly still and silent while short and raw gasps for air rattled through his hitching chest. His feverish gaze twitched to the closed door.

Everything was so bright and hot and loud. It hurt and it 'itched'. Gavin couldn't tear his eyes away from the door but clawed himself into a dark place, a protected corner, and as the dam broke and the shakes and shudders came again, he muffled his gasping cries to the best of his abilities.

A sleek little shadow ducked under the bed with him and its big grey eyes flashed in the dark. Violently shivering Gavin closed his arms tightly around his own shoulders, while the noise of his clattering teeth filled the heavy silence.

Gavin was so nauseous, he prayed to fall asleep or die before that door opened again. Before the monster got him by his hair, legs or arms and dragged him from his hiding place. Voiceless Gavin huffed and gasped through frightened tears and scratched his itching skin with blunt and bloody fingernails.

The little shadow drifted closer, drawn to the sound of Gavins rapid heartbeat. It finally cowered close to his chest and laid its head down in the crook of Gavins neck. It was so soft and warm, it made Gavin hitch and cry just harder while the pain flared in his fast cooling limbs.

There were voices behind that door, distant and low. The whispers made him anxious. It was so god damn cold...

Gavin tightly closed his eyes - and as he opened them again, the light had already changed into almost bloody red stripes on the wooden floorboards.

Gavin blinked sluggishly out off his sleep drunken state and took a deep rattling breath that forced his hurting chest to expand. How could he loose time so easily? Was this even real? Did he sleep for just some hours or for days?

"Ah, you finally woke up", murmured RK900. He sat on the floor, his back against the bed frame, and had positioned himself right between Gavin and the door like some kind of motionless sentinel. Now he came to life again, turned around and bowed down to look under the bed. Both of his eyes reflected the light with a bright glint. The sight felt like it should be unsettling.

Gavin blinked sluggishly. He was way too exhausted and empty to feel anxious or afraid of anything. He didn't want to move and didn't say a thing.

"How are you feeling?", RK900 almost whispered as he laid down on his side to keep Gavin in his direct line of sight. Gavin didn't know how to answer to that and he wasn't sure if he even could. So, again, he didn't say anything.

CA-T007 commented on the situation with low purring noises and turned around to lick and groom the shadow of Gavins prickly jaw.

RK900 didn't say anything else. He just laid there for a while and Gavin slowly closed his eyes again.

"Gavin?", the low murmur made him twitch awake and he had no idea if he had fallen asleep or not. The light in the room was now a dark orange, so... maybe. RK900 shifted his hand in his direction. An open invitation.

Gavin glanced at it and watched the milky white skin bleed away. The warm blue glow illuminated RK900s worried face. Gavin let out a feeble but voiceless sigh before he lifted his hand and stretched it out to him. As soon as his hand laid in RK900s, the Android gently closed his fingers around his - and pulled.

Gavin shuddered through some not really worthwhile memories, but let himself get pulled easily over the smooth floorboards. Even though CA-T007 was shifted right with him and made a sound that told about its annoyance at being moved without its consent. Before it could end up sandwiched between the two of them, it jumped up and trotted right over RK900s frame with a haughtily lifted tail.

Meanwhile, RK900 closed his arms around Gavin and pulled him tightly against his chest. "How can you be so hot and so cold at the same time?", he murmured with a frown. "It feels... unsettling."

Gavin hadn't even the energy to shrug but turned his head to push his cheek into the folds of RK900s black shirt. "Dunno", he uttered under his rasping breath. "Wonders of biological viruses, I guess. How are you still alive?"

RK900 smiled widely. "Android magic!"

Gavin closed his eyes. They just laid together like that for a while. Gavin felt himself skip seconds and even some whole minutes. Until RK900 tilted his head down and murmured warmly right into his ear.

"The RK series went through some fundamental design changes after its first trial run with Connor Mark 51", he said lowly. "Even though Connor got destroyed only once, on his first trial mission, cyberlife noted that his head was a far too vulnerable part to store delicate processing components. Humans and deviants alike were way more likely to try and shoot him in the head to deactivate him. It wouldn't do if they wanted him to be ... an 'Ace up the sleeve' of the police force. Something that would almost seem indestructible to its assailants."

RK900 swallowed noticeably, Gavin felt the nervous movement against his temple. "You might call it a 'killing machine'. They wanted something like that. And in a way, they succeeded."

It felt draining to ask more questions, but Gavin was still aware that he usually would very much 'want' to know. Even though right now... he kind of didn't care. It didn't feel important, because absolutely 'nothing' did. Gavin blinked slowly while a tired snarl bared his teeth. "So your brain's not inside your skull."

RK900s fingers pushed gently into his sweat-soaked hair, while his other hand curled around Gavins. He shifted it gently over his chest until it laid still under RK900s left collarbone. "Here. My primary processing units are stored away inside a reinforced cool tank that might look to you like a black box. It is located deep inside my chest - actually, it is a lot easier to reach and destroy from my backside."

Gavin hummed lowly. "But then they have to trip up all your fancy sensors first, I guess."

RK900 shifted his arm down again and looped it around Gavins waist. "Exactly."

A bone-heavy sigh left Gavins chest as the fingers of his ice-cold hand curled into the folds of RK900s shirt. "What happened then. Down in the cellar. You didn't shut down, so..."

RK900s silent breaths stuttered for a whole minute. Both his arms suddenly tightened around Gavins haggard frame. His lowered voice went through a rare stuttering glitch as he finally spoke. "The shot didn't destroy anything vital, but it set off one of my unique emergency response protocols", he murmured flatly. "It basically sets a timer and forces a reboot. While deviants may be able to scan someone like me and ascertain that I did not shut down, humans wouldn't know if they aren't familiar with the RK series."

Gavin had a rough idea about where this was heading and it made him as sick as it made him ... mad. Gavin was suddenly so utterly furious. To not respond in blunt bites of hateful nonsense, he locked his jaw and pressed his lips tightly shut.

"If I become compromised through my mission while an undercover operation is taking place, it wouldn't do to just ensure I can't be easily dismantled and destroyed. So... after half an hour my primary processing unit breaks the loop of said protocol and forces a reboot. In the field, I would still be able to send a report, get myself out to safe ground - or even neutralize the enemy one by one while they assume I am no longer a threat."

Gavins teeth ground together while his breath rumbled in a low raw growl through his chest.

"Of all the things. This is just... cruel", he rasped through bared teeth. RK900 hummed lowly. "I still can appreciate the thought behind it. To be assumed dead gives me an advantage in a before maybe even considered futile situation. But it also means I was captivated for half an hour while my partner almost clawed his own eyes out, bit off his own tongue and broke his own bones in a drug-addled delirium."

Gavin snorted before he broke out in raw laughter that didn't sound particularly amused. "Oh, really? That all?"

RK900 didn't look like he had much fun mentioning it either. "Did you ever do something worse?", he asked with a head tilt and an utterly flat voice.

Gavin actually thought about it before he slowly nodded. "One time I was so wasted, I shot myself in the face", he said with a stiff kind of shrug and tipped two times against the ugly gash over his nose. "And another time, I was so damn high, I convinced myself that my right arm wasn't my own."

He stretched his arm to expose the marks and actually 'showed' them for the first time willingly to another person because right now Gavin was wrecked and tired, angry and empty and simply did not care. While the scar on his face had been minimized a good chunk by the modern miracle of extended facial reconstruction and plastic surgery, the one on his arm was ugly, long and gnarled because he hadn't been in a mindset to properly care for it.

It was a miracle as it was, that Gavin had made it alive through his early adult years. Others might have died of sepsis or other dangerous conditions caused by his drug addiction that never had been loyal to just one substance. Gavin had crossed the stuff, had gotten his head so full he couldn't walk straight lines anymore or even walk 'at all'.

Sometimes Gavin missed his old mindset of not caring about anything or anyone. Being on his own and only surrounded by people who gladly used him but never genuinely cared about him... It had been so much easier, back then.

Gavin blinked unevenly as he looked up his arm. The little nicks and cuts surrounding his hand and wrist were not very pronounced and were all in all mostly harmless signs of physical labor. The dotted, raised and blotchy skin in the crook of his arm was more of an eye-opener and the reason why Gavin never wore short sleeves even when it was hot as fuck outside.

But the ugliest one of his scars was this half ring over his skin just barely under his right shoulder joint where Gavin once had taken a knife and had sawed away at his own limb until he on one point even reached the bone. He had been so high, there hadn't been any pain to stop him. The scar was a jagged line, uneven and rough. The scar tissue that had proliferated over the dangerous wound was still a little bit pink, but it at least didn't hurt anymore. Just sometimes when the weather was horribly dry and hot. Then it almost felt like a belt or a tourniquet around his upper arm. A kind of ironic reminder.

RK900 stared down at the raised pinkish scar tissue and slightly furrowed his brows while all his tells gave the scan away. "I wondered where they came from", he said drily.

Gavin tilted his head back down against RK900s shoulder. "What was your guess, then?"

RK900 hummed in thought. "I was not made to speculate. But the first suggestion my database gave me, was that I was paired with a war veteran. You show signs of PTSD. Are you aware, Detective?"

"Of fucking course I am", Gavin spat back instantly, sharp and venomous. "I'm sure I spend half my lifetime in some shrinks office and let them tell me who I am and what I am not."

An ugly kind of snort pushed out of his chest. "As if I'm some traumatized frail maiden."

'Trauma' wasn't a word he liked to associate with himself at all. He wasn't damaged, he wasn't a broken guy. He just was... hollow. Where other people felt things, laughed and cried as if their emotions were the most natural thing to them, Gavin felt as if he somehow missed an important upgrade while growing up that made him fully human. He usually wasn't ashamed for his significant lack of empathy or his inability to emote to others how he felt - if he felt anything at all.

But now he had a person so close and warm that cared and whispered so many sweet nothings and somethings to him as if they weren't completely wasted on him.

A person he maybe even could love in his own way.

Gavin twitched in his quiet musings and pressed his lips tightly together.

RK900 observed him with a warm smile on his stupid pretty-boy face. When he looked at Gavin it was always as if he saw something fragile and precious. No one had ever looked at him like that and Gavin still wasn't quite sure if he actually 'liked' it.

"What is going on in this head of yours?", RK900 asked with a slight tilt of his head. Gavin rolled his eyes through a bone-heavy sigh. "What, you can't just scan for my thoughts or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"What do you want to know? Not much left in there anyway."

"We both know that is not true, Gavin."

"Why the fuck do you have to be so god damn nosy?!", Gavin roared with wild eyes and a sudden tightness to his chest he didn't want to acknowledge.

That made the warm smile slip from RK900s face and of course, Gavin regretted instantly he opened his mouth in the first place. A sharp noise bit through his grinding teeth as he lowered his eyes back down to RK900s chest.

The sudden silence felt oppressive which was the whole reason he felt suddenly so unbearable awkward because RK900 still never loosened his hold on Gavins body.

"I want to know and analyze every bit of information about you I am able to detect", the Android suddenly said with a strong and mildly annoyed tone of voice. "I don't want to be 'nosy'. I want to be a confidant. I want to help you the same way you helped me from the moment I found myself in your general orbit."

A 'confidant'. A bitter kind of laugh bubbled up through Gavins tightening chest. "The fuck, why?!", he hissed and felt his hackles rise as RK900s face morphed into his usual flat expression.

"Because you are so much like me that I never felt alone, surrounded only by humans and deviants alike who were so much better suited to function in society. Because I looked at you and saw you struggle even though you already had thirty-six years of lived experiences to fall back onto and still didn't know what you were doing. You made me think I might be alright, I might be just fine. The way you navigate through this world shows me every day that there is no shame in learning, in trying and even in failing sometimes. You are not well adjusted, you are not kind to yourself - you are not 'well'. I can see that. And sometimes I want to be the person to make it all better so badly that it 'hurts', even though I can't pinpoint any physical reason why. Androids do not have a subconscious, nor an instinctive understanding of human emotions. There shouldn't be 'anything' inside of me that makes it possible, but here we fucking are and I do love you anyway."

In the following silence, one could have heard a pin drop somewhere.

Gavin blinked hastily through his daze and his heart seemed to skip several beats while his vision almost whitened out in a sudden spike of stress.

A hand pressed tightly down on his chest and Gavin gasped as suddenly the noise of his thundering heartbeat filled his ears while his vision turned strangely sharp.

Gavin opened his mouth - but closed it again as he didn't find anything useful to say. What 'could' he even say to this?  
His eyes widened in some unknown terror as he swallowed to clear his suddenly bone-dry throat.

"I-... uh...", he stammered as his voice turned raw and thick. He felt like a bumbling idiot the longer he couldn't even string two words together.

RK900 seemed to stare right into the depth of his soul as he reached up and let his fingertips wander up Gavins jawlines to finally hold his head in both his hands, barely touching like one would cradle something darling and precious.

"You are my partner", he said as static stutters filled his voice, even though he looked as calculating and blank as one possibly could. "It is a choice. It is 'my' decision. I could keep fighting the baseline of my own nature, but fuck everything, I just don't fucking 'want' to."

It was so weird to hear him curse like this. To listen to the glitches and hitches in his voice.

"You are mine in a way no human will ever even graze to understand. Because I chose you. Not because some protocol, not because I need-...this feels like the first genuine choice I ever had - And I chose you."

Gavin felt caught like a deer in headlights. His heart kept thundering away in some ugly kind of panic, even though Gavin couldn't even think up any logical reason why he should feel afraid. Still, he felt utterly terrified.

He swallowed and again lowered his eyes to RK900s chest. "Why?", he asked once more like some toddler who just didn't get it because as much as he'd like to, he couldn't come up with any reason for this. He didn't even treat RK900 in the way he so clearly deserved and should be treated.

Fondly RK900 lifted Gavins chin through a caring touch while his thumbs caressed over his rough cheeks to wipe angrily red tear tracks away.

"Because you are the one who taught me how to be a person", he murmured as the light in his eyes made Gavin shiver. "I have learned 'so many' things about myself while working at your side. Also, I learned to know you, I learned to like you - and then I learned to love you. It was the easiest thing out of them all", he said while his voice went through so many glitches that he almost sounded like a badly tuned radio.

His following awkward smile caught Gavin completely off guard in its intensity. It made his chest somehow swell with a tight and burning hot sensation that stretched his sore lungs as if it couldn't possibly contain all those curling emotions.

RK900s awkward smile suddenly turned a bit quirky. A glint in the corner of his eyes transformed his attentive stare into something lurking and made Gavin feel all at once like something chased and helpless.

He leaned closer again. His almost scalding hot breath danced in a tingling sensation over Gavins trembling lips as he murmured: "And I still want very much to kiss you."

Gavin blinked hastily while way too many different and complicated emotions tore at his heart and twisted his stumbling mind into something ardent and vulnerable. Awkwardly he cleared his throat in a try to gain back some ground under his feet while he felt like he was freely falling off a cliffside.

"You know", he rasped and felt his face burn up as he leaned back to not get cross-eyed since RK900 was just this damn fucking close to him. "You are some rather embarrassing Dork-Bot."

RK900s brows twitched upwards and his eyes lit up with a playful spark. His smile turned to be as awkward and unpracticed as ever. Gavin still couldn't look away. Because right now his rotten brain told him over and over again that this man right in front of him had to be the prettiest thing he ever saw in his entire fucking life. Which was a rather random sentiment considering that Gavin never really thought about stuff like that. At all.

But he also had this sudden, almost violent urge to -... by the gods, he didn't even know?!

He wanted to reach out, to hold even tighter onto him and stare, scratch and 'bite' - which was only made worse by RK900s knowing glance, the quirk in his brow and his so very bright and happy glow.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed down while he leaned utterly determined into Gavins space. His nose rubbed once more in an affectionate touch alongside Gavins. It was an almost unbearable intimate gesture of affection - and it made Gavin finally understand that this was actually real.

RK900 wasn't human and not prone to manipulative games and deception for his own gain. There was no reason at all for him to trick Gavin into anything. If he really did this just because he wanted to, just because it 'felt right' to him...

"Kissing's weird", Gavin murmured wide-eyed and lowered his gaze while his nose wrinkled in embarrassed distaste. "Never understood why people were into that so much."

He blinked through his hesitation and took a deep breath before he decided for some questions of his own. His hands on RK900s back held tightly onto his black shirt. "What is it for you?"

RK900s smile faltered a little as he slowly leaned back again. "I-... I am not sure I understand?"

Gavin hummed lowly and furrowed his brows. "What would be the most common and comfortable way for 'you' to show affection?", he asked bluntly and seemed to trip RK900 a little up with it. The Android looked almost stunned until his eyes shifted and his expression turned rather serious. "I... I don't know, actually."

Again he blinked and looked down at his arms, still so tightly closed around Gavins shorter frame. "I like this. I like to hold you. But... it doesn't feel exactly right. It doesn't feel like 'enough'."

His eyes shifted back to his and Gavin hummed again in acknowledgment before he lifted his hands. RK900 blinked in surprise as Gavin laid them down over his warm cheeks, mirrored RK900s gentle touch from before to the best of his abilities and watched in utter fascination as a flush of dark blue changed the color of RK900s milky white skin. The Android closed his eyes and bowed his head so willingly and trusting into Gavins hands.

He produced a silent noise from deep within his chest, not a rumble exactly. There was something distinctly non-human about it.

"What does it feel like? When I touch you?", rasped Gavin lowly and narrowed his eyes while he observed every little change of RK900s expression. RK900 lifted one of his hands and pressed it down over Gavins left one. His skin bled away as if it happened through some kind of basic instinct.

"There-... I... I feel no differences in any touch at all", RK900 murmured and slowly curled up until his forehead connected gently with Gavins. "It is all just... data. It is pressure, temperature, error- and damage-reports. But I am able to flag datasets, so I can learn to differentiate between a clap on my back and an actual attack on myself. It is a lot about learning experiences and association."

RK900 opened his eyes and smiled widely, amused as he saw himself confronted with Gavins usual impatient sneer. "Imagine you weren't able to feel anything at all", he spoke up again, this time slower as if in thought. "But every time when it's your favorite person who touches you, something inside your head holds up a sheet of paper with a note that reads: 'this feels really great!'"

Favorite people and association, huh...?

Contemplatively Gavin pulled his brows slowly into a deep frown. "So...does this translate to pain as well...? Just a note in your system that tells you something is unpleasant or harmful?"

RK900 tipped his head hesitantly into a slight nod. "In a way. Association is the key aspect. Learning about contact, damage and... 'unpleasant' sensations happens already in the first minutes after activation. It is the baseline of Android self-learning algorithms and our experiences. I guess we learn to associate some kind of input so strongly with our system flags, that it just starts to... 'feel' differently at some point."

Huh... for Gavin that almost sounded like he accidentally discovered the root of that infamous 'deviancy virus'. Just a natural side effect of self-learning computer code. A followup of intelligence without opinion. Humans wanted Androids to think and learn for themselves - and now they did.

As much as Gavin tried to, he guessed there was no way for him to actually understand the specifics of an Android consciousness. But this thing about the association of touch sounded kind of familiar.

"I guess, aside from pain, all touch feels the same to me, as well", he murmured and caressed with his thumbs RK900s blushing cheeks. He didn't even know Androids could do that. It was pretty like nothing Gavin had ever seen before. And made him somehow feel quite powerful.

"I'm not...very 'sensitive', I guess. Or at least I wasn't ever with other people", Gavin murmured and thought back to all these frequent shivers and shudders RK900 could so easily provoke in him. "I still shouldn't be the first choice for anyone as a sexual partner. It wouldn't be much fun... I guess."

His nose wrinkled up as his mind wandered back to the last time someone had tried to get him into 'having some fun' together. It never had quite worked for him. It always had felt like a chore, something he would rather avoid. But then... Gavin seldom had done it with someone he really liked. And never with someone he actually trusted.

RK900 blinked his eyes open in a comically hasty manner and almost stumbled over his own tongue. "I-... sexual-... Gavin, I just wanted to-... I didn't want to make you feel like-..."

Oh, he actually 'did' stumble there. It was endearing as hell. Gavin chuckled and leaned up with a wide and kind of nasty grin, way too amused to let this one just slide. "What is it now, Dork-Bot. Somehow coy all of a sudden?"

RK900 stared into his eyes as his mouth opened and closed without a word coming over his lips. His whole frame froze up for five full seconds and Gavin couldn't help but break out into breathless laughter because his Android, in spite of everything he said and did before, was actually 'shy'...!

"Never start things you aren't ready to finish, you poser", Gavin giggled helplessly and thought back to the day at the restaurant or even just the last minutes. To RK900s blinding confidence that seemed so easy to fade into almost terrified silence.

He stopped laughing instantly as he suddenly realized that RK900 mirrored Gavins own erratic behavior and all of his insecurities right back at him.

Gavin swallowed. Was he really so terrified of closeness to another person...? Fearful enough to unconsciously teach an Android socially awkwardness and even panic attacks?

He furrowed his brows in thought.

RK900 slightly shook his head as he leaned back again in search of eye contact. "Gavin, if I gave you the feeling I wanted to push you in any direction, I am s-..."

"You don't have to be terrified, just because I am", Gavin interrupted him darkly before he took a deep breath and lifted his gaze. RK900 observed him attentively like always. His expression went through some subtle shifts while he obviously tried to determine Gavins mood. Gavin huffed and bared his teeth in a wide grin. "You search for 'warmth and closeness'. We both know we aren't compatible in the right way for some kind of Android-mind-melt experience", he said, not even sure he could treat this topic with the seriousness it probably deserved. "We humans have an alternative to that, so yes, sex is an inevitable discussion because humans 'crave' it. And now I guess, Androids do too."

Sarcastically Gavin grinned and lifted both his brows before he leaned up to murmur right into RK900s ear: "'In a way'."

RK900 didn't care that much for Gavins attempt at humor and bit back as fast as a snake. "But do 'you'?"

And if that wasn't a loaded fucking question. Gavin blinked, stared at RK900 and actually thought about it. The easiest answer would have been a clear and powerful 'fuck, no' because Gavin sure as all hell didn't - usually.

But right now in this instant he positively yearned for contact. RK900s elegant fingers left a tingling sensation on his skin. A feeling he couldn't quite name. He looked into his dumbass pretty-boy face and he wanted. He wanted 'something'. He wanted to touch, he wanted him to be closer and the weirdest thing of them all - Gavin actually wanted to kiss him.

Gavin was a damn furious mess of a human being and most of the time he couldn't even put the things he felt into words because he never had learned 'how to'.

That was why he in the end simply closed his eyes and did what he craved for.

Kissing was a weird thing that he never quite understood or had gotten really into. Usually, it just felt invasive and kind of wrong. But even though there was no sappy love track starting somewhere in the background and it didn't feel like this mind-altering experience others talked about his whole god damn life, it was a lot warmer and nicer as Gavin remembered it to be.

Especially as RK900 woke out of his shock-frozen stiffness and tilted his head while he leaned his whole body into him.

A deep content humm tore out of his throat and rumbled through his chest. A not quite human sound that made Gavin shiver just some more. RK900s spread the palm of his hand widely as he pushed it up Gavins spine and finally into his hair. He held him in place as he hungrily opened his mouth and coaxed Gavins lips to part with uncountable little nips and bites that somehow made Gavin feel light headed as well as a little bit daft.

The thought that it needed an Android to kiss Gavin Reed into utterly senseless submission was kind of hilarious all on its own.

RK900s artificial tongue slid smoothly against Gavins and whatever it was he was now analyzing made him gasp in utter satisfaction. RK900s almost scalding hot breath burned over his face and made Gavins toes curl while his jittering fingers held tightly onto the collar of his Androids black shirt.

In a flurry of movement he suddenly sat upright, the following dizziness severe enough to make his vision black out for a second or two. "What the hell are you doing?", he gasped as he broke the kiss. RK900 chuckled lowly as he leaned up and nipped at Gavins exposed throat while his arms tightened around him to pull him securely down into his lap. "Collecting data for further analysis", he cooed innocently just before he opened his mouth and licked a long stripe from Gavins collarbone over his throat, almost up to his ear.

Gavins whole body sized as if shocked through an electric pulse. Firmly he closed his eyes as an almost violent shiver made him arch his back and forced a high keening cry out between his grinding teeth.

As Gavin opened his eyes again, blinding heat flooded his face and his vision and he kind of wanted to die.

"Gavin...", murmured RK900 into his ear and seemed to shock his whole system with a single word. Just his name. Gavin had to clear his throat before he even could croak an answer. "Shut the fuck up. I'm not used to this, is all."

Humiliation burned on his face, but Gavin already knew well enough what 'touch starvation' felt like. It wasn't as if people fought for the privilege of his company. They never had and usually, Gavin didn't give one single fuck about that.

But that he now already shivered to pieces from a simple kiss and felt goosebumps rise all over from a nip at his throat didn't fit well into his plans at all.

All the more amazed him this sudden spark in RK900s eyes, whose stare was so intense, Gavin was almost sure he could feel it burn on his skin. RK900s plastic white hands danced from Gavins waist all the way up to his neck. His thumb caressed over his pulse point and Gavin closed his eyes while he gave RK900 the freedom to touch just as he liked. Gently his fingers lifted Gavins chin up, exposed his throat again, and Gavin swallowed as RK900s scalding breath burned over the thin skin of his nervously bobbing adam's apple.

RK900s tongue pressed gently into that valley below before he opened his mouth wide - and suddenly bit down in an intimidating display of strength. Gavins breath hitched noisily as he kept his eyes tightly shut and locked his jaw into a grinding bite.

RK900 held him easily in place while he sucked hard at the delicate skin between his teeth, almost as if he was some kind of half-starved beast. Gavin got instantly reminded of that obnoxious model presentation - of RK900s reinforced jaw and teeth. Sudden images of bright red blood, a locking jaw and rabid shakes flashed through his mind.

Gavin mewled a pathetic cry as his fingers clawed all over RK900s shoulders to at least hold onto 'something' while blood hot shivers made goosebumps climb up his arms all the way up to his neck.

Another motion, another shift, and suddenly Gavin laid on his back, in his bed and right under RK900s wide awake and staring gaze. The weirdest thing was, it didn't even feel invasive. It didn't feel 'creepy'. Gathering data was just something RK900 'did'.

Still, Gavin narrowed his eyes and swallowed around his erratic breathing pattern before he snarled: "Well then, kiss me you god damn coward-...!"

And RK900 did, obedient like he never truly had been before.

Gavin never understood when people talked about sex as a thing that sometimes 'just sort of happened'. As if it was some kind of force of nature or some bullshit like that. Well, what he 'did' understand was that RK900 'wanted' him. He didn't think, he didn't stop and Gavin sure as fuck didn't want him to.

Over and over RK900 stifled Gavins feeble gasps and cries with almost scalding kisses, so intense and full of affection they forced Gavins toes and fingers into a tight and almost painful curl.

And when he didn't kiss him, any of his tells gave his frequent bioscans away. RK900 didn't receive his pleasure through touch alone but it was the data he steadily gathered from observation that drove him wild.

Gavin gasped and scratched with blunt fingernails over his shoulders and back to get at least some kind of illusion of control back over himself as RK900 - Nines - basically fucked him utterly stupid.

Because he was just perfect in everything. He always knew what he was doing and had to be the most observant man alive.

Gavin came with a strangled cry, his orgasm so intense the spunk splattering his lower abdomen easily could have been blood.

Gasping and shivering Gavin laid there with his trembling legs still tightly closed around RK900s hips who leaned above him with an elegant arch of his back. Gavin fought open his heavy-lidded eyes as his Androids hot breath burned over the left side of his face. RK900s murmured deep and rumbling right into his ear.

"Aren't you a real beauty?", he purred the same moment as he shifted his weight on the bed and rolled his hips just in the right way once more into Gavin. He knew what he was doing, of course, he did. It was a pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. "Aren't you just right for me?"

Another push forced Gavins back into an arch while a soft groan spilled from his kiss-swollen lips. The steady shivers that made his fingers curl tightly into the blankets beneath him felt like fire and ice combined, danced like butterflies through his utterly overloaded nervous system. "Yes... you are just perfect, aren't you...?"

The shivers didn't stop.

Gavin came again with a low groan as his eyelids fluttered shut and his muscles pulled taut in a trembling loss of strength and control.

As he opened his eyes again RK-... 'Nines' observed him with a smile, almost disgustingly fond, while his knuckles caressed so very softly over his left cheek. "Think I can make you cum again...?"

Gavin blinked up into his stupidly pretty-boy face and couldn't stop that breathless giggle from escaping his chest. "You like always taking one step beyond, huh...?", he rasped breathlessly in answer.

Nines narrowed his eyes as he leaned down and nipped gently at Gavins lower lip. "I like very much how you say my name..."

Gavin closed his eyes as Nines shifted his weight once more and laid down on top of him. He was so hot and heavy. Gavin almost wished for him to be as heavy as he looked. He liked the thought of a weight heavy enough to crush his tired soul back into his body.

"Gavin...why are you crying?"

Smooth fingertips caressed over his closed eyes and wiped the traces of salt away. Gavin smiled waterily and slowly shook his head.

"No reason", he murmured and reached out with trembling hands. "No reason, at all..."

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


It had to be some hours later, Gavin wasn't exactly a reliable witness when Nines woke him up with a gentle kiss to his temple and sent him to take a shower.

This time around Gavin needed no help at least, even though he felt a little reluctant and sort of anxious about leaving his bedroom. Admittedly he was also still bone-deep tired and hurting but strangely this time it felt no different as after an exerting case or a rather exhausting illness.

The hot water on his skin loosened his cramping muscles and seemed even to rinse away a layer of fatigue that had violently clung to him for way too long time already. He felt more energetic, a little more like himself.

Despite that, a look into his bathroom mirror made him shudder in revulsion. He was pale as something that crawled out under a dumpster and his skin felt still so paper dry and rough. The most horrifying thing though was his sunken face, all the lost weight and muscle mass in just this short amount of time. He looked like a starved and pitiful dog, not at all as he remembered himself. It felt troubling enough for Gavin to make him avoid his own reflection and concentrate fully on his task at hand.

As he was done he finally felt like an actual human being again. Even though he shirked to touch his shaving set. Maybe it had to do with that whispering thought of... if he didn't do it... perhaps Nines would do it for him again...?

Gavin couldn't help the shiver and tightly closed his eyes.

As he went down the hallway to the living room he got distracted as his stomach pleaded angrily for anything to eat in reaction to these utmost delicious smells that hung in the air like some sort of haze. Aside from his mouth they almost made Gavins eyes water while his empty stomach begged for mercy. He was so god-awful hungry all of a sudden...!

As he stumbled into the living room, Nines stood at Gavins stove behind the counter as if it was his most natural place to be and defended it patiently against a nosy little Android cat that had absolutely no shame in dunking its paws right into the sizzling meat and vegetables when no one was looking as it somehow seemed to develop a weird kind of interest in human people food.

"Oh, you are already here", Nines said wide-eyed. Maybe the constant distractions had thrown off his calculations there a bit. "Just sit down, please. Dinner will be ready in approximately thirteen minutes."

Gavin couldn't help but stare. So much in fact that he failed two times to grip the backrest of his chair before he got to pull it out under the table. The moment he sat down Nines turned around with a rare deep huff and dumped CA-T007 right in front of him onto the table and out of his way. It wasn't possible to tell which one of them looked more annoyed.

CA-T007 turned to Gavin, made a discontented noise and clearly searched for some kind of backup. Gavin smiled. "Don't be a menace", he murmured and lifted his hand to shift his index finger smoothly over the tiny Androids head along one of its big pink ears. "He's a lot bigger than you and knows your operating system. Don't poke a bear."

CA-T007 blinked out of half-lidded eyes into Gavins face and looked completely unimpressed.

Nines made some really strange noise that revealed his frustration to the world while he flipped the fry-up around with just some flick out of his wrist. "She calls me 'Archer'", he said with an unusual wrinkle of his nose.

Gavin in return was 'very' impressed. With a wide grin, he shifted his attention back to CA-T007, 'her' as he now learned, and poked gleefully a stretched index-finger at her tiny temple. "Oh, 'do' you, now?", he chuckled. "Already with the nicknames while you still haven't one of your own?"

RK-... fucking 'Nines', cleared his throat noisily until Gavin turned around. With an utterly deadpan voice, he stared down his nose at CA-T007 while his brows twitched downward. "'Archer' is her acronym for 'annoying and regressive combination of hysterically escalating retrobotics'."

Gavin blinked. His head needed a moment to keep up with the newly received information. His gaze crossed CA-T007 haughty stare right as she unconcernedly lifted a paw to lick it clean. Gavin broke out into almost painful spluttering laughter.

"What, don't you bully my partner, you little shit!", he giggled helplessly and poked at her again. It made her jump and bat at his finger and Gavin had to be in love.

"You, she just calls 'Rat-Man', by the way", Nines added way too casually and Gavins laughter died instantly in his throat. His still so watery eyes crossed with CA-T007 sharp and deeply annoyed gaze. "Why...", he murmured and narrowed his eyes as his grin only went wider. "You little shit-weasel."

CA-T007 answered with a tiny awed snarl, but her LED still went through completely relaxed blue cycles. A sudden yellow blip was followed by one of Nines' awkward chuckles. "She has seen you at three am on the floor, eating 'shock-frozen vegetables' out of a freezer bag."

Annoyed Gavin rolled his eyes. "Why's that such a big deal, it was only once-..."

\- "Four times. She counted."

"Fine! Four times. I came home late and I don't get take out or cook at three am in the fucking morning!"

Pointedly Nines directed his attention to the clock on the wall. Gavin wanted to scream. "Why the hell are 'you' cooking shit at two fucking am?!"

Nines highly amused smile was warm and wide as he finally placed a gently steaming plate right in front of him. "Because you are hungry and you have to eat."  
Before he leaned back again he pressed a loving kiss to Gavins temple as if it was the most natural thing.  
Then he sat down beside him. The warmth of his shoulder, tightly pressed against Gavins, bled through all the layers of his clothing.

"Why are you still here...?", Gavin couldn't stop himself from asking as he fiddled nervously with his fork. The first bite was almost blindingly good and he had to hold himself strictly together to not gobble it all down and make himself horrendously sick with it.

"Why? Did you forget about the black box?", Nines asked astonished and caught Gavin in surprise until a deep flush crept over his nose. Discontented he wrinkled his nose and knocked his elbow into Nines' lower side. "You weren't 'that' good, Dork-Bot...!"

"Could have fooled me."

Nines wide and almost nasty grin reminded Gavin to pay more attention in the future and to stop dropping fucking bricks like that.

Noisily he cleared his throat as he looked away. "I mean 'here' here, dipshit. I'm knocked out and on withdrawal from a hard drug overdose. What's your excuse with Fowler?"

Nines looked at him and tilted his head as if it should be quite obvious. "Since my partner almost died and is in dire need of assistance, I reminded Captain Fowler that it would be a splendid opportunity for me to reduce my accrued overtime hours."

Gavins head whipped around to him. He stared. He couldn't help it. Somehow he felt a bit dazed as he looked away again and comped his fingers through his fringy hair. "...Damn...", he mumbled lowly. "You don't spend one single fuck, do you?"

Nines honest to the gods 'giggled'.  
"Not in particular."

Gavin swallowed and lowered his gaze at the food on his plate as he thought about the last days - or at least about what he could still remember of them. "Well... thanks...", he rasped with lots of feeling that came quite suddenly out of fucking nowhere. He felt like a damn useless ninny as he was forced to rub bluntly over his watering eyes before he embarrassed himself even further.

CA-T007 stalked over the table surface as if it was meant to be a catwalk and placed herself provocatively right between Nines and him. Wide-eyed she looked up into his reddened face - until she made a little noise, sat up on her hind legs and butted her tiny head tightly to Gavins chin.

He had no idea what it all said about him as he started bawling like a sniveling child. Once more Nines hot breath burned over his skin as he pressed a kiss to his temple. His left hand closed tightly around Gavins own while CA-T007 huddled into his sunken chest.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Gavin woke from his catnap laid out on his couch and felt somehow already so much more like himself. Almost as if he had shredded a shroud of blackness in his dreams. With a burning heart, he stared up at the ceiling and took some deep and soothing breaths. He knew it still wasn't over and done with. There would still be hell to fight.

Violent mood swings, cravings out of control, an itch under his skin he wouldn't ever be able to scratch away...

But now he felt calm. He even felt rested. It wouldn't be long until he would need his pills back to lull him into sleep, but right now everything was... well, not 'fine' exactly, but...

Gavin felt like he could genuinely survive this. He felt a lot stronger. He felt safe to fail, even. He didn't know what Nines had done with his service weapon that day, but he knew as long as he was there, his Android wouldn't let Gavin do anything stupid with it.

A silent purr was followed by CA-T007s attentive stare as she suddenly lifted her head up from Gavins chest. "Aaaw... slept well?", he mumbled, still a little bit drunk on sleepiness and relaxing lovey-dovey feel-good hormones. CA-T007 yawned, turned smoothly around and pulled her little feet tightly under her warm body. Gavin grinned and scratched over her ear. "Tired of being a cat yet?", he cooed under his breath and cradled her tiny head between his hands as he made good use of his thumbs to scratch along her smooth and rosy throat.

CA-T007 positively rolled into his touch and her purr tingled all over the palms of his hands. "What is it with you, huh? Still no name of your own?"

A little mean maybe, Gavin pulled at her enormous ears until she bit and gnawed at his fingertips. Gavin giggled breathlessly and wiggled his fingers out of her grip.

"How does 'Countess, the mighty' sound to you, you traitorous lil shit-weasel?", he murmured and watched her butting her head into his hand. The tiny Android didn't look like she cared all that much. Her LED stayed a calm and relaxed baby-blue.

... It reminded Gavin of something.

As he arched his back and took a look around, he spotted Nines in the dim light of the early morning sitting at the kitchen table. The Android sat completely inert with his eyes not even fully closed. Was he in stasis or something...?

Gavin felt a sudden pull he couldn't possibly ignore. The moment he set himself up, the mighty Countess batted at him and cried noisily, so he lifted her up onto his arm. On tiptoes, he turned around and followed the calling of his curiosity.

While he went to the kitchen, Gavin stretched the sore feeling out of his joints and muscles before he concentrated on what he saw.

Anytime yesterday or the day before, as he had been asleep most likely, his brother had come by to repair Nines left eye. Gavin hadn't even asked about it he now remembered with a sting of shame. A sullen frown tipped the corner of his mouth as he slipped nearer, concentrating on making no noise at all.

Nines left eye was now completely fine, thank the gods. There was nothing that betrayed the done damage. Not even the color of his new iris was that much divergent from his right one. But the right side of his skull...

The white lines of a spiderweb structure were still there, even though his head wasn't cracked open anymore. Gavin had felt it under his fingertips. The bullet had ripped right through the place where his LED had been.

Gavin suppressed a vince and sat countess down onto the table surface.

Gavins hand jittered slightly as he gently touched his fingertips to Nines temple to brush his auburn hair aside. His thumb trailed distractedly over the artificial scar.

Nines head turned. "I can assure you, it doesn't hurt, Detective."

Gavins vitals 'SPIKED'.

In intense fright, he shouted out and took a jump back but his heels slipped over the wooden floorboards and he tumbled back in a panicked flail to get a hold on anything that might hold him up.

Nines arm shot out instantly and just a whirlwind of movement later Gavin sat secure and save in his lap while his heart hammered painfully away in his chest. With rushing static in his ears he swallowed around erratic frightened breaths as moisture gathered in his eyes.

"Don't...do that...ever again...!", he rasped like a dying man while Nines pressed alarmed a hand down to his abdomen to help him somehow to control his oxygen input.

If this wasn't a pretty much humiliating kind of overreaction.

"Gavin! Count with me?"

Gavin did. He had to count up to one hundred thirty-nine until he vaguely felt like a human being again. And even then his erratic heartbeat didn't want to settle down.

"I- ... I am sorry. De-... deeply sorry, Ga-vin...", glitched Nines' voice through a dozen distressed Android noises which might even have been funny if Gavin hadn't been spooked to fucking tears like a dumbass little child, right now.

Gasping he pressed his eyes tightly shut and rested his head with an exhausted huff against Nines' shoulder. "Alright. It's alright", he rasped. "What were you doing anyway?"

Nines folded his arms tightly around Gavins haggard frame and even rocked slightly back and forth to help him calm down his tingling nerves again. "You were fast asleep, so I thought I use the opportunity to run some more system checks and sort through some minor damage reports", Nines answered with his low and soothing negotiator voice. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was sure you noticed. You always pay such intense attention to-..."

He suddenly stopped and seemed to remember. Gavin closed his eyes with a bone-deep sigh. "To your LED, dipshit. Made you a lot less unpredictable to me, that little thing. Without it I'm sort of fishing in the dark with you", he murmured and he couldn't help the silent note of frustration in his voice.

"Then again", he said slowly as he lifted up his head to search for eye contact. Nines watched him as attentive as ever. "It makes things a lot fairer. You can't exactly see if I'm preoccupied either...so... no shortcuts for both of us", Gavin murmured with an eye-roll.

A small crease appeared between Nines' brows. "Oh, but I can see", he said with a tilt of his head. He lifted a hand and pressed it down gently above Gavins sternum. "I can see your heartbeat spiking. I can smell your distress in the air. I can even hear minor changes in your speech pattern and voice. Now that you say it aloud, I think you are right."

Gavin reflexively nodded while he rubbed the moisture out of his eyes. "Yeah, I'm right. Sure. Im-..."

His eyes twitched open. "Right about what?!"

Nines' distracted expression turned into a bright smile and he shook his head in a show of overly fond exasperation before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Gavins left cheekbone. "It is a lot like 'fishing in the dark' - and not quite fair to you."

So was life. Gavin shrugged once more and didn't think much about it.

But he somehow thought a lot about ice and snow as his look crossed Nines watchful eyes. He was so distractingly pretty, it almost made Gavin angry. "Soo", he murmured and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Is there any damage? Anything flagged?"

Nines blinked at him in pure wonder as his lips stretched into a blinding smile. "No. But I still receive error reports sometimes that tell me about some irregularities in my code which would classify as verifications of deviancy."

His smile fell with his words and turned a bit sour. "But it is mostly just irritating."

Gavin snorted and used his position to lean heavily into Nines' arms, because 'fuck it'.

"What, did fuck your partner dot exe not compute well with you?", he sneered. He wasn't quite prepared for Nines' completely deadpan voice as he answered: "Interesting. You must be a real Detective."

Gavin rasped a startled laugh and batted at his shoulder, while Nines imitated a perfectly endearing pout. The faint blue flush was somehow back all over the bridge of his nose and Gavin 'loved' it. "I receive most of these errors when I touch or kiss you. It is highly annoying", Nines said flatly.

Gavin shrugged with a wide grin. "Don't worry about it. They'll go away fast enough on their own."

Nines tilted his head with a frown. "What makes you so sure?"

Gavin refused to get distracted by Nines' pretty-boy blue blush, or the array of his perfectly designed freckles he could see from this up close. "Because I have them, too."

Nines looked up to him with a look that made quite clear he didn't understand so Gavin sighed and volunteered to share a bit of his not as limited old-human life experience.

"I was programmed to like girls, see? But I never did in the right way, so anytime I was in a situation where I knew what I 'should' do or want: Bam!!", Animatedly he punched his fist down into the palm of his hand. "Error message!"

"The moment I was pursued first time by a guy and noticed that it didn't bother me? Error message. The moment I understood your intentions? Error message. The moment you kissed me? Seems like the biggest fucking error message of my life."

Nines listened with a slight frown on his face. "You kissed 'me', Detective", he said in a way as if that little detail was immensely important to him. "Was it that bad?"

Gavin hesitated because where the hell had that thought even come from? Until he understood that he had gone a bit messy with the context of his examples. "No!", he said sharply the instant he understood Nines' line of thought. "Of course not, no. I'm just a miserable dickhead. My kind of error messages aren't only comprised out of 'no's, 'wrong's and 'wtf's, but out of a lot of 'I didn't do anything to deserve this', too."

Nines brows twitched into a disconcerted frown. "Gavin-..."

Before Nines could say anything unbearable sappy or stupid - or even both - Gavin tilted his head down and kissed him. It felt at least as nice as the last time. Gavin wasn't sure he could ever grow to like or crave 'the most common human gesture of affection' like others did. But the way Nines basically melted into him... 'that' felt like a treat like no other. "It's my own luck I'm an incredibly selfish bastard as well", he murmured against his lips as he finally broke the kiss. "I am better off if I don't ask too many questions. If you grow some day out of your little crush, so be it. I take even the smaller slices of happiness. I'm good at that."

Nines looked at him as if Gavin hung the moon or something. As if he looked at an immensely appealing piece of art. "Gavin...", he murmured lowly as his knuckles caressed along his jawline until his fingertips buried in Gavins nape and pulled him softly, gently down once more. "...Gavin..."

Gavin shivered while his eyes fell shut.

A heavy knock at the door made Gavin almost jump out of his skin a second time this morning. Once more his vitals almost went completely through the roof.

"WHO THE EVERLOVING FUCK IS THERE?!", He snarled, not far away from foaming. His heart actually hurt from the sudden fright while his breath came way too fast and short. His nerves seemed to crawl while he felt faint and feeble and it made him 'angry'.

In his next conscious moment, he already stood at the door. His hand crashed flatly against the wood. "GET YOUR FUCKING PUNK ASS AWAY FROM MY FUCKING DOOR!!"

Nines appeared behind him and framed his haggard body as if he wanted to shield him or others from an explosion. The heat of his body bled through Gavins clothes and crawled up his back while Nines did the actually smart thing and leaned down to look through the fisheye on the door.

His low, distracted "Oh...!" was almost tuned out by the hollering answer.

"REED, YOU MISERABLE FUCK, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Gavin blinked irritated while Nines already pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the lock. "Tina?!"

The door swung open to reveal a very disgruntled Officer Chen who stood on the threshold with a large basket of ... 'stuff' in her arms. The basket was filled to the brim with energy drinks, different kinds of chocolate and bacon for some reason as well as a small box that looked like a medication only its label read 'Man up pills - Manflu aid'.

A white envelope laid on top of everything and an obnoxious rainbow colored balloon was tied to the basket handle. On it a hairline cross and the written message 'Somebody missed you'.

A startled laugh escaped Gavins chest at the absurd sight of it all.

Tina, in contrast, wasn't amused in the least. As soon as she saw him she paled in obvious, naked horror. Her free hand covered her mouth while the basket only didn't fell down because she carried it in the crook of her arm.

"Oh...oh, baby...!", she muttered distractedly and Gavin realized he still looked like something dead on the roadside. A vicious snarl shivered through him. "Get the fuck inside. I don't do this in the hall."

Sharp and stiff he turned and almost ran right into Nines. The Android looked at him as if he knew something Gavin didn't and held himself back from stating it aloud. It made his skin crawl, so Gavin bumped him angrily out of his way and went for his bedroom to get something long sleeved. He felt naked.

As he came back, the door was closed and Tina and Nines stood by the kitchen table. Tina held a stained tissue paper in her hands and tore it between her nervous fingers while Nines held his head low and murmured something deep and silent.

As Gavin entered the living room, they both turned around and looked at him. Gavin was already annoyed. "What?!"

What he didn't expect was for Tina to roll her eyes, to take a beeline to him and jank him down into a crushing hug. "Oh, my sweet, ugly baby, holy shit!", she cooed while she ruffled through his hair. Gavin felt strangely caught. Wide-eyed he stood stiff as a board and couldn't help the almost instinctive glance to Nines in search for help.

That traitor just smiled with an 'I told you so' sort of shrug. Finally, Gavin hugged her back but there wasn't a way she missed the awkwardness in his movement. At least she did him the favor and didn't mention it. Instead, she held him by his shoulders leaned back and shouted in outrage. "Baby, what in gods name did you 'do'?! You look like utter garbage!"

Gavin blinked astounded. "I-... uh..."

"They never told me anything! 'I'm not family'!!", she blurted in a deep voice, maybe imitating a nurse. "Not even the Bot-Brothers did, aside from you weren't well and visits were not advised! You utter arsehole, I was worried sick about you!"

A low and angry sob forced itself out of her chest and she pressed the tissue to her eyes. Gavin felt stunned and so uncomfortable, he had to awkwardly clear his throat first. "I-... I'm -..."

Tina lifted a hand and pushed it hard against his shoulder. "After what happened to Lieutenant Anderson I was keyed up enough already and then I get the report about arson in Charleston Avenue with your damn car just in front?! You can feel so lucky you had Robocop in there with you to drag your sorry arse outside, that utter dump is completely gone now!"

Gavins gaze twitched over her shoulder to Nines, but the guy had already turned to sort through Tinas gift basket and made room for the perishable stuff in the refrigerator. "And then you don't answer any of my texts, like-... Reed, dammit, all I knew was it had been serious enough that you could have 'died'!"

This time she reached out and her delicate hands cupped his cheeks in a strangely gentle gesture. "Baby, you utter dumbass! You should know so much better, what the fuck is going on?!"

Should he really...? Should he know that she cared so much?

Gavin felt uncomfortable like seldom in his life. Tina and him...they were no friends. Not really. At least he always had thought so. They never went out, they never interacted aside from work or breaks or-...

She hugged him again, strangely tight and jittering.  
"I'm so glad you are alright. It's all not the same without your ugly mug around."

Gavin felt his breath hitch as he curled his fingers into her uniform. Because she was wearing 'her uniform', why was she even-...

"Does Fowler know you are here?", he rasped, kind of dazed and felt suddenly so very small. Tina just waved it off as if it didn't matter. "Chris called me this morning, Connor told him you were quote-unquote 'stable', so he will cover for me till nine", she said, still with a disgruntled look on her face.

Gavin felt this familiar pressure on his chest and hastily cleared his throat as he went fast for the coffee machine. "How's life at the station?", he asked as he pressed the button. Meanwhile, Tina sat down at the table. "Way too eventful for my taste", she bitched right away. "Three Officers down in as many days - and one blackmailed himself out of duty."

Pointedly she stared at Nines' back who didn't lose his smile for even just one moment. "I am completely unaware of any wrongdoings, Officer Chen."

"Now that I got to see him, I believe it, too", she answered dryly and waved her thumb rudely in Gavins general direction. Gavin cleared his throat as he put down a cup in front of Tina before he finally sat down himself. "Don't give me that bullshit. As if people actually miss me there or something."

Quick like a snake she reached out and flicked her finger to his nose. "Now we have only one Detective and a Lieutenant left who almost can't remember to do the job without shooting things. Of fucking course, you are missed."

Gavin flinched and scratched his nose. Some flakes of dried white skin caught under his fingernails. "Who are the lucky bastards, then? Was someone promoted since I was out?"

Tina snorted and sipped on her cup. "Demoted, really. Captain Allan fills in for Anderson since he's the only one left who can successfully organize a team - even though he now uses checklists because he has no idea what he's doing anymore. Not that he has a choice, really."

Gavins grin went almost wider than his face allowed for. "If that isn't something I would like to see for myself... and the other guy?"

Tinas gaze flickered to Nines again before she shrugged in an obviously uncomfortable sort of way. "They got another Android-Detective out of the tower and that creeper Kamski made clear they are making an effort there to save even more of them."

Her eyes went a bit glassy as she murmured: "I was so used to Connor being unique. This new guy ... dunno, he creeps me out."

Gavin thought about Nines' so similar mannerisms and stiff nature as he newly arrived at the station and he guessed he got it. If they woke other Connors up, each one of the guys had first to figure out how to be their own person. The thought made him smile. "Family is growing, huh?"

Tina rolled her eyes and put her head with a tired huff into her hands. "Guess so."

"How is the guy? That bad?", he asked and watched Tina think before she slowly shook her head. "He looks like you, sounds kind of like you, but is the most efficient motherfucker I've ever seen."

"Oh, fuck off!"

"No, really!", she said and in a swift motion pulled her phone out of her pocket. She swiped some left and right and then gave it to him. "See?"

Some creepshots showed a strange version of Connor in washed-out jeans and a black hoody underneath a dark brown leather jacket. He had a faint white scar on his forehead and a scowl on his face that could make little children cry at a glance. Gavin actually saw the strange resemblance in only this one picture. "...Creeepy...", he murmured and Tina nodded through a low groan. "Y'have no idea at all. Always were on about these guys replacing humans. And now look at that guy. Appeared only two days after you were gone."

Gavins gaze shot up just fast enough to pick up on Tinas disgruntled frown. A lovely tight and warm feeling bubbled up inside his chest and Gavin broke out into spluttering laughter. "You fucker...!", murmured Tina in a slow, almost predatory growl while she narrowed her eyes. "To your information: I saw that guy and was so close", she pinched her fingers together. "So fucking close to believing you!"

It was that moment the Countess decided to follow her curiosity and abandoned her favorite hiding place on top of the fridge. She landed with a soft 'unf' sound right in front of Gavin. The sudden fright made him reel backward while he rammed his left knee hard enough against the table to make Tinas coffee cup jump. He only didn't fall because Nines stood right behind him and caught his tipping chair in a lightning fast reflex.

Gavin felt cold sweat prickle all over his face as he gasped for breath like a fish out of water. "Fucking, androids...!", he groaned the same moment as Tina squealed: "Cat!!"

Nines' warm hand pressed gently down on his nape and Gavin closed his eyes as he took a deep and calming breath. "Her name's Countess", he rasped right as Tina excitedly lifted her hand for inspection as the Countess decided if she was allowed to touch or not. But of course, she was. As if the tiny Android would deny herself some free cuddles.

"Oh, baby, she's lovely...!", Tina whispered in awe as the Countess snuggled into her hand. "And so pink and shiny...! Aaaw, you should make some more pictures of her in sunlight!"

She lifted her gaze with a delighted grin - that instantly froze on her face as she looked at Gavin. "...No...", she suddenly whispered. Gavin frowned but felt his stomach lurch as her eyes flickered to a target at his upper right side and -...

Gavin still felt Nines thumb draw distracted little circles into his neck. Until the moment he got aware of Tinas wide, astounded gaze.

"Hell, no...!", she said as a demonic grin almost split her face in half. Repeatedly her gaze flickered between Nines and him before she broke out into cackling laughter. "You dirty little jackass, I 'knew' you were lying your balls off!!"

Gavins face flushed instantly red and blotchy as he gave his damned best to not even look into Nines general direction. "I wasn't lying!", he bit back sharply, but Tina only giggled harder. "Oh please, I 'knew' there was something going on! I knew it!! Hah, I fucking won!!"

Dumbfounded Gavin pulled a face. "Won what?!", he croaked after almost a full minute of useless blinking. Tina leaned over the table and didn't mind at all as the Countess used the moment to snuggle into the crook of her neck, that damn little traitor. "Three Dollars and thirty-nine cents", she hissed through her grin. "Sorry, the betting pool wasn't ever that high, but the Lieutenant said you are way too stubborn to ever get over yourself. I said nay, because I know ma bitch and look who finally spilled the beans!"

She looked so delighted and now Gavin noticed that he hadn't even tried to deny anything. With a groan he let his head fall into his hands. Tina giggled with a mean glint in her eyes and petted the Countess as if she was the godfather. "Tell me all about it, Romeo."

Gavin stared speechlessly but finally got rid of his rigor and turned around to Nines. The Android stood beside him in terrified, motionless silence. His hand still hovered just an inch from Gavins shoulder, because he was obviously not sure if he was still allowed to touch or not. Gavin could almost feel the static field around him crackle and was sure if he leaned closer, he could listen to the softly clattering plastics of his outer shell since Nines was scared shitless enough to quiver in an utterly inhuman way. There was a low, almost inaudible electronic humm surrounding him.

Suddenly his blank, rigid stare shifted slowly from Tina to Gavin.

Gavin looked into his eyes and felt something vicious flare alive inside his chest. His breath caught in his throat. Finally, he took a deep breath, turned around and lifted a brow in sharp annoyance. "Fuck, no."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Nines pull his hand away. In a lightning-quick motion, he snatched it back and didn't have to look to know that Nines skin deactivated in an instantaneous reaction as soon as Gavin closed his fingers tightly around the Androids hand. Beet red or not, Gavin wouldn't dare to break their connection just because it got a bit awkward with other people around. What the fuck did he care, anyway...?!  
Gavin never before had cared about any of them, what they thought or what they said.

His deep scowl dared Tina to comment on it, but she only lifted her brows and took a slurping sip at her coffee cup as she pointedly looked away. Gavin wrinkled his nose into a vicious snarl as he made a point in tilting his head and pressing his lips down to the back of Nines hand before he let it go. If Nines stood afterward a little bit closer to him, Gavin didn't mind at all.

Gavin clicked his tongue. "So, tell me all about the stuff I've missed."

Tina put the cup down. "Thought you'd never ask."

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Tina left at eight thirty and Gavin felt again kind of empty. But not in his usual heavy and tar-like sort of way. Social interactions always sucked the life out of him, but this time he felt calm. Tired but... happy. It had always been a peculiar concept to him, happiness. Something that just seemed like it wasn't meant for him.

But right now after some of the worst days of his life, it didn't feel so unreachable anymore. He guessed he could be happy. His worst fear had always been to end up in a place others would him even envy for - and still not being able to feel anything at all.

Now he knew.

He 'was' able.

It still could be good.

At one pm Gavin ordered in and almost ate himself sick on the best take-out of his life. At two pm he was in a melancholic and reflective mood and cried over the get-well-soon-card Tina had brought in with her basket. It was a disfigured four-year-olds doodle, most likely from little Damian, that showed many people in uniforms with signatures from all the people he knew and even some he didn't. Gavon had absolutely no clue who the fuck Officer Elli and Kaleb were, but their signatures made him cry even harder for some reason.

After a long, relaxing nap, he got into an extensive fight with Nines over the conclusion of a damn stupid cop-show on TV. He got loud and angry enough to scare the Countess into her hiding place under the couch - and spent subsequently a whole hour lying on his side on the floor and gently coaxed her out with repeated soft apologies.

At seven pm he sat on his couch and rummaged through the days leftovers as another someone pounded at his door. Still horribly twitchy Gavin jumped and instantly wanted to eat someone's face in a burst of sudden anger. "What the fuck, no one cares for years and somehow now-..."

He was on his bare feet before Nines could say anything and opened the door with an aura of destructive energy. "WHAT?!"

His eyes went wide.

Anderson stared him down, utterly unimpressed and obviously not in the mood. "Good evening, Reed. Watch out for-..."

Gavins world shook even before the old man was done with his warning as 'the animal' got hold of his shoulders and simply ran him over on his own doorstep. Sumo had to be the largest pet Gavin ever got in close contact with. And the huge and slobbery tongue down his face and neck told him Sumo liked him at least well enough to not outright eat him alive.

"...- the dog. Evening, Nines."

"Good evening, Lieutenant", said Nines quite carefree as he easily pushed his arms around the big dog to lift him up from Gavins chest. He carried the huge, happily panting thing as if he didn't weigh more than a child. "You should have told me you'd check out today. I would have-..."

"Oh, nonono. No. I already have a functioning chaperone. I can assure you, I am quite fine with the one I got, thank you", interrupted Anderson just a little bit too sharply before he bowed over and grabbed so easily for Gavins arm with the one hand that wasn't fixated in a huge black sling.

The old man was still as big as a mountain and strong like a bullock. Gavin felt kind of lightheaded as he finally stood on his feet again. Instantly Anderson went in for the kill as he bowed down once more and pulled Gavin suddenly into a crushing hug.

"What the fuck are you doing?!", squealed Gavin through the hard pressure that suddenly surrounded his ribs. "I swear to god, Anderson let fucking go of me, or-..."

"Or fucking what", grumbled the old bastard and pressed Gavins head only even tighter against his good shoulder. "My dog’s you-sized, you lame fucker. And you think I'm somehow scared of your scrawny ass?!"

A deep huff of warm, not of alcohol smelling breath tickled through Gavins hair as Anderson patted his head with so much clumsy force, that it seemed to rattle Gavins brain around. "Fuck, I'm so glad you damn little rat-face made it."

Gavin swallowed around a sudden tight knot inside his throat. "Me too, I guess", he rasped before he had to awkwardly clear his throat. "Where's Connor?"

Anderson let him go and leaned back with a low groan. "He's here as soon as you talk about him, no worries. Where are your fucking manners, Reed, get me something to drink that isn't filtered water, will you?!"

Gavin scoffed and opened his fridge to sling one of the newly acquired energy drinks at him. Anderson sounded positively delighted as he easily caught it - until Connor suddenly went through the still open door behind of him and plucked that can with a firm "No!" right out of his hand.

Connor didn't even pay much attention. He just got inside with this huge basket full of dog stuff under his arm and went right for Sumo or his brother or both of them. Gavins gaze shifted back from Connor to Andersons disgruntled face and couldn't help but burst out into spluttering laughter.

"You know how some people fret over their dogs if they get a bit too fat or if their cat free-roams too much?", Anderson pulled a face. "I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way between last November and now, I got adopted."

Gavin hacked through some persistent coughs but still turned to the fridge. There had to be some orange juice left from Nines’ last shopping trip. Meanwhile, Anderson sat with a heavy groan down at the kitchen table. He seemed relieved. It still seemed to hurt a lot, Gavin regarded in silence.

"Here", he said and placed the filled glass more harshly in front of Anderson as he actually felt like doing. "Choke on it, fat ass."

Anderson tipped the glass in Gavins direction. "Wouldn't that be one of your wettest dreams."

Gavin pulled a face. "Can't think of a situation where I wouldn't gladly shoot myself in the face once more for having wet dreams with you in mind."

That almost made Anderson choke on his juice for real. For Gavin it felt rather satisfying.

Gavin closed the still slightly open apartment door and sat down opposite of Anderson. "What do you want old man. Not like you to just appear on my doorstep for no fucking reason."

"Seeing you alive and well is a pretty damn good reason all on its own, don't you think?", the old man asked and sipped on his glass. Gavin held his tired but still so bone sharp gaze and slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Anderson let out a low snort and his smile went wide and full of teeth.  
"Guess you of all people know me quite well."

Then he patted with his good hand at the pockets of his jacket he only wore draped over his shoulders and fumbled with some swishes and swipes around on a pad before he reached over to place it into Gavins hands. It displayed a shaky video file. "That's something you should see."

Gavin frowned and his gaze flickered from Anderson back to the pad in his hands.  
He wasn't quite sure if he really, actually should.  
But he tipped play anyway because now he wanted to fucking know what all that was about. 

It showed a slow, lovely stroll through a well-attended park in ego perspective - and Gavin needed some blinks till he understood that he now got a glimpse behind the scenes how two of the most advanced Androids ever produced processed their surroundings. Connors vision was heavily restricted by an almost transparent HUD that always told him things about all the big and little stuff that happened around him. Aside from the statistics concerning his own bio components, there was also a list of tasks that updated so frequently, Gavin couldn't quite catch up with the running objectives. 

Then there was the always active connection to the police database that always seemed to scan for familiar faces as soon as someone got into direct line of Connors sight. The feature didn't seem like it was in Connors conscious control. More something he did because it was just how his software worked. And even then it happened so fast and the highlighted faces switched so often, for a human like Gavin it just looked highly irritating. 

"Impressive, isn't it?", snorted Anderson while Gavin wrinkled his nose. "I'm fine, thanks. Fucking glad no one designed bullshit like that for the rest of us yet."

But under all this software garbage something caught Gavins eye. Down on the left side of the video was a kind of seal that showed Connors firmware version, currently updated to 0.9-86.9.9.43, and the name of Connors handler: Lieutenant Hank Anderson.  
A bad feeling suddenly caught Gavins stomach in a loop and his gaze flickered up to Nines who was currently playing a game of tug of war with Sumo. Was he-...

His attention jumped back to the pad as a sudden burst of static filled the silent video with noise. As he turned to look, the video-feed had already given out, so Gavin had to wind back a minute to actually see what happened.  
Connor and Anderson walked side by side, maybe a little closer to one another than necessary. Like seen before, Connors HUD flashed through all kinds of information about the people around him, but nothing at all gave away any kind of danger signals - until an unobtrusive woman in a thick grey hoody suddenly gripped something at her lower right side and time seemed to slow down. 

To actually see how an Androids threat assessment software worked was indeed impressive as hell since Connor seemed to react before Anderson even knew what was coming for him. Connor rammed him out of her way and lifted his hand to block the blow while dozens upon dozens of statistics rattled through his sight and preconstructed the motion with not his but Andersons best chance of survival. The machete was maybe as long as her lower arm and didn't even look exceptionally sharp. More like an old tool someone stole out of a garden shed. But it came down with enough force, to split Connors lifted hand cleanly in half. Gavin flinched with a racing heart and had to look away to gather himself first. 

Andersons crossed his gaze and he nodded slowly. „If not for the kid, that one would have gone right through my chest. Maybe I would have gotten a good look at my myocardial fat or something. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology.“

He didn't even look shaken. He just seemed tired. Almost empty. Gavin had the sudden feeling that not only he had difficulties to hold the rest of his functioning brain matter together. Awkwardly he cleared his throat, before he watched the rest of the video, even if there wasn't much more to see. 

Connor had gotten Anderson out of the way, but suddenly someone grabbed the old man from behind and rammed down a knife somewhere between his neck and his collarbone. Connor saw it happen, was distracted maybe for the fraction of a second and the female machine used his hesitation for a precise kick that seemed to come with enough force to almost rip Connors head from his shoulders. His HUD went wild with all kinds of information as the video-feed broke into extensive bursts of red and grey static. Maybe two seconds later a red alert showed on screen and warned about severe damage to vital bio components. 

„What the hell happened...?“, Gavin rasped and almost couldn't believe it. Connor was a precise machine. He was fast and sleek like a damn weasel, there was no way this could have been so easy as it looked on screen. 

„Three kids and one hell of a big Android Lady happened“, Anderson said drily. „Not even an hour before all that, we talked to your old friend. Sounded reasonable enough, said he would help if he could. Said he would meet us at the park since it wasn't that late yet. We could have a little chat, nothing that sounded exceptionally fishy or threatening. Well.“

„I'm sorry“, said Connor who seemingly appeared out of the blue at Gavins left side and spooked him almost into a heart attack. „Fucking, Androids!“, he gasped as he clutched his chest. „For what?!“

Connor tilted his head with a displeased frown on his face. „The feed could have been cleaner, but my stress-levels were too high to compensate for the suddenly heightened flow of input. There also had been an auditory feed, but...“  
Connor blinked. His nose twitched.  
„My reconstruction software refused to shut down after I got... neutralized. It permanently loaded in datasets of the event for analysis. It was difficult to process and to handle my strongly limited resources until I got fully repaired. I guess, I just... panicked, for a better term. I deleted most of it.“

So the Robocop had had constant flashbacks of his assault and had tried to minimize the trauma through reflexive deletion of evidence. Well shit, Gavin wasn't even mad. If he could just delete some shit that had happened in that damn cellar or even before that... 

„It’s the same Android. Or at least the same model“, he stated certainly as he tipped on the screen to show her face to Connor who narrowed his eyes in a subtle shift of expression. „She was the one in the Cellar. How common are models like that?“

Connor slowly shook his head. „They are exceptionally rare. Military Androids were the first affected by the recall centers after all. There are just five registered ones in new Jerichos Database and this one is none of them. It's a Myrmidon Gi-M300 and its serial number... it's a jumbled mess. What I could gather is, that this one was most likely build up anew out of parts from several different Androids and reactivated by civilians.“

Gavin bared his teeth under a sudden wave of pure disgust. „You mean some kind of Frankensteins Monster?“

Lightning quick Connor lifted his hand and clipped him hard over the back of his head. That fucker.  
„Not a Monster, Reed. Even a combination out of several Androids of the same production line wouldn't make her function any less efficient than a newly assembled cyberlife model. But there would be no registrations, no way to track the parts back to someone and not just one single serial number as her... hm... ‘identity’, I suppose.“

Gavin rubbed over the back of his head as he looked back at Anderson. The old man shrugged. „Want some details?“, he asked and bared his teeth in a rather mirthless grin. „I was lucky enough that the little shit behind me didn't stab anything vital. So I pulled my gun and fired at that thing before it would chop Connor here to tiny handy pieces. That thing grabbed one of the kids and pulled him in the line of fire. I almost shot a sixteen-year-old boy dead, because that thing used him as a human shield without-...“

He took a deep breath and looked away while his functioning right hand rubbed over his mouth and through his rather unkempt beard. Gavin nodded slowly. „I didn't dare to shoot again at that thing“, Anderson said. „Maybe I wouldn't have hit it anyway. Damn, it was fast, Reed. I've never seen anything like this. Not even Connor is as fast as that.“

Gavins mind went back to a dark little cellar and the noise as he was thrown around by a being with bones of hardened steel and other components he couldn't remember. The woman had looked at him as if she didn't even see him. He hadn't been important at all. She had gotten a direct order and she would have-...

A hand pressed gently down onto his shoulder while a stretched index finger tapped a slow rhythm on his collarbone. It helped a lot to control his suddenly so erratic breathing while cold sweat gathered in his nape. He felt quite sick. „She isn't a deviant, is she?“

Connor, who suddenly stood on the other side of the table behind Anderson, slowly shook his head. „I don't think so. Myrmidons are a specialized brand of Androids. Deviancy affects them a lot different than us.“

Gavin pulled a face and leaned back into the backrest of his chair. Unconsciously leaning his head into Nines’ waist. „That means? No free thinkers in the military?“

„Not like us“, Nines said. „ Myrmidons are assembled without a voice box and social relations protocols. They are made to either function autonomous or follow strict orders from their human handlers. They can't even make suggestions if their software calculates another option with higher rates of success“, he said blankly while his fingers drew the tiniest circles over the exposed skin of Gavins collarbone. „The registered Myrmidons in new Jericho react a lot different from us to humans and Androids alike. They are basically made to kill and never had another purpose. It's hard to place them in a new environment and teach them that they can just... stop doing what they were supposed to do.“

„Markus had the few he registered himself under strict observation. They only leave the compounds with an assigned handler and even then it can be quite dangerous since they still tend to react to considered threats in the way people built them to“, said Connor and crossed his arms uneasily in front of his chest. „Androids believing in God and coming home from war with raging PTSD, who could have predicted that“, scoffed Anderson and sipped his juice while Connor gave him a dirty look. 

Gavin took a deep breath. „Soo“, he said slowly. „We not only have another Joel Kelley ‘I want my own street rules’ on our hands, but also a gang of utterly ruthless, Detroit-Youth exploiters, armed with one of the most dangerous Androids who ever existed.“

„Don't forget that they know your name and most likely where you are currently living“, said Nines with a thick layer of sarcasm in his voice and damn was Gavin proud of him right now. „Shut the fuck up.“

„Well, he's right. Will be one hell of a ride till we get this mess all sorted out.“

Gavin blinked. „Excuse me there“, he said with an irritated head shake. „Who is this ‘we’ you are talking about? Did I met them or something?“

Anderson looked at him with a dead-eyed stare and twitched his nose with a noisy sniff.  
„You bet your scrawny little ass, that I will get me some of this new little wannabe crime lord. And you“, sharply he pointed right into Gavins astounded face. „Will do most of the legwork because you know a lot more about these guys than I do. And I know you still have some old scores to settle.“

Gavin lifted both of his hands and rubbed hard over his chalk white face. Tightly he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. „This is-... no. Just no! This is the stupidest Idea you old fart ever came up with!“, he said as he angrily slammed a hand down onto his table. „It all started with the one getting me into Police service, like what the hell, how did I even end up here?!“

Gavin felt his heart swell and stumble and could barely keep up with his racing thoughts because all of this was so fucked up and wrong and somehow he seemed the only one to care about that. „I shouldn't-... Anderson, I'm not even sure I'm fit for any kind of work. I'm on withdrawal of a thing more dangerous than heroin, like-... what the hell did Fowler even say to any of this?!“

Anderson chuckled darkly and leaned heavily on his right elbow.  
„Fowler saw that our attackers had a military gadget at their hands and completely lost his shit, is what he did. He basically begged me to get these fuckers for him.“

„... that... Isn't quite how I remember the conversation, Lieutenant.“

„Ah, shut it Connor, you're just no fun.“

„But Captain Fowler was indeed highly alarmed. Especially since all of this links up to you“, Connor said and nodded to Gavin who felt as if he was already walking on a dangerously thin sheet of ice. „He will want to talk to you first thing you get back.“

Anderson huffed and waved Connor away like a bugging fly and got on with his irritating devil-may-care attitude. „Don't worry so much. I'll get you soon enough into the task-force. We will need one when shit goes down. If Fowler wants to give you shit, he will have to go through me.“

Gavin scoffed and folded his arms over his chest.  
Anderson snorted. "Would it kill you to say thanks?"

Gavin slowly shook his head as his eyes clouded over with still so painful and deep-seated anger.  
"Maybe? I don't know. You are definitely not worth the risk."

Anderson laughed and Connor behind him rubbed the base of his nose with a low groan. 

Gavin didn't really care for either of them. Rather he tilted his head back and looked up to Nines. „You think there's a chance for us to save that Android? The Myrmidon?“

Nines frowned before he finally pulled out the second chair and sat down beside him. „You see me surprised that you care so much. It wanted to kill you and almost succeeded.“

Gavin scratched along his nose and shrugged morosely. „I dunno“, he murmured under his breath before he sat up straight and bounced his knee. „I don't like the thought that she could be just a machine used by extremely ruthless and dangerous people to do harm. But I even less appreciate the thought that she ‘could’ be a deviant and just does what she does, because she never got the chance to learn to do anything different.“

Gavin knew he should stop to empathize with Androids to such a strong degree, he really, really knew. Androids, all in all, were so utterly different from humans and still, Gavin felt a far stronger connection to them as he did to any of his fellow human beings. Nines beside him stared motionlessly and maybe got his train of thoughts again without even trying.  
„In that case“, he murmured lowly. „We will both do our best, to get her the chance to be a person.“

Was Gavin in love?  
Hell, how should he know? 

But he still couldn't cancel that stupidly happy smile on his face as he leaned into Nines with a feeling of ease. They both could do this. Together as partners. Softly Gavins forehead connected with Nines’ while he closed his eyes for just a moment of peace in which he pretended that the world outside just didn't exist. 

But a feeble little „Oh...“ caught his attention and Gavin tilted his head to look at Connor who now slightly leaned over Andersons shoulders. „Oh...!“, he said again as his eyes suddenly widened. 

Gavin frowned and wrinkled his nose into a toothless snarl. „What. Something on my-...“  
He stopped himself as he followed Connors gaze back to Nines who sat eerily still like a deer caught in headlights. His bland expression did absolutely nothing to defuse his deadly, pointed stare of utter destruction he focused on his brother. ‘dont you dare’, it seemed to say. 

But of course Connor, oblivious or just a little bit mad, ignored him completely and still dared it to his hearts content. His grin went wide and almost seemed to reach his ears as his eyes narrowed down. „You filthy little deviant, I fucking knew it!“, he barked out.

Nines was so fast out of his seat, Gavin almost lost his balance. 

Well, he guessed, all their plans for truth and justice could wait until Gavin was back on his feet again.  
And until Connor recovered from all the software malfunctions that got flagged by his system as Nines got him into a tight headlock. 

Sumo didn't care about anything and snored silently away on his blanket and the Countess laid cozily coiled between his massive paws.

**Author's Note:**

> So many stuff that wasn't planned at all.  
> Tina? wasn't there before. Kamski? nope. Anderson? Fuck that guy, no. 
> 
> I planned this with two or three big scenes in mind.  
> This one got so ridiculously long, it ate all my work breaks for a whole month. 
> 
> And now that I think about it, there is still stuff I want to write.  
> Will have to wait for the next one @@
> 
>  
> 
> Note:
> 
> If you are like me you might not have noticed how jumbled the timeline is in this series, soo...
> 
> Gavin is five years older than Kamski.  
> Kamski got out of home at thirteen, so Gavin was eighteen as he left.  
> I imagine him roaming around till he was twenty-two the night as Joel Kelley died. 
> 
> The exact year when Anderson had his accident with Cole doesn't matter much in this series, only that it happened before the Scott Marshall incident. 
> 
> Androids were freed in November, so Nines was introduced maybe in January of the next year. So part two would play in March in the year after the revolution while I imagine part three and four in November almost one year later.
> 
> Continuity errors and fuck ups are special to me, because they tell you a lot about how long these fics were in work before they were ready for posting lol


End file.
